Sending down Matt Waldron allows Padres' trade acquisition another bite at the apple

Well, the San Diego Padres have seen enough from Matt Waldron to make a rather hasty, but correct decision. A.J. Preller and Padres' front office optioned the knuckleballer to Triple-A El Paso on Thursday before the Friars' series opener against the New York Mets.

Waldron was the talk of town about two months ago, but a number of troubling outings, capped off by his 12-hit, 10-run debacle on Wednesday against the Minnesota Twins, forced Preller's hand. The Padres President of Baseball Operations could no longer keep the feel-good story alive, and sending Waldron back to the minors was the correct call.

But the Padres now have yet another hole in their starting rotation. San Diego has seen Joe Musgrove in and out of the rotation this season, and Yu Darvish is currently on the restricted list. So where will the Padres turn to fill Waldron's spot in the rotation?

Sending down Matt Waldron allows Padres trade acquisition Randy Vasquez another bite at the apple

Randy Vasquez, whom the Padres landed in their preseason trade with the New York Yankees, seems like the most logical candidate replace Waldron. Vasquez was on the bump for the El Paso Chihuahuas on Wednesday, so he'd be in line to start again on Monday when the Padres travel to St. Louis to play the Cardinals.

But while Vasquez may indeed be the pick to replace Waldron, the Padres can't have a great deal of confidence in that selection. Though Waldron has been horrendous in four of his last five outings, Vasquez allowed four runs on six hits in his last start at Triple-A. On the season, Vasquez is 0-5 at El Paso with an 8.78 ERA. Vasquez has, however, started 17 games for the Padres this season with a much better track record.

Vasquez has been yo-yo'd back and forth between El Paso and San Diego all season, and it would appear that the Friars are set to give the right-hander another bite at the apple early next week.

Jhony Brito, another player acquired in that same deal with the Yankees, is another option. The right-hander has served mainly in a relief role all season with the Padres, but did earn a couple starts down in the minors recently. But unless the Friars are planning to lean heavily on their bullpen, Vasquez, not Brito, should be the selection.

It's obviously less than ideal, but perhaps a reset in the minor leagues will give Waldron the chance to recapture that same zest and ability the Friar faithful enjoyed watching before the All-Star break. It also gives the Padres fanbase and front office an opportunity to see if Vasquez is part of the team's future.

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