Barrett traded to the Padres

[ronnynat]

 

CHICAGO -- The Chicago Cubs traded embattled catcher Michael Barrett and cash to the San Diego Padres on Wednesday for backup catcher Rob Bowen and minor league outfielder Kyler Burke.
Advertisement
Click here to find out more!    

Barrett, batting .256 with nine homers and 29 RBI, has had problems defensively and also been involved in two dugout exchanges this month with Cubs pitchers.

He and Carlos Zambrano got into a skirmish in the dugout June 1 and it carried over into the clubhouse where Barrett got a black eye and needed stitches in his lip.

Less than two weeks later, Barrett and pitcher Rich Hill had an exchange in the dugout during a game against the Seattle Mariners.

Barrett was the central figure in a brawl with the White Sox last season when he punched A.J. Pierzynski in the jaw after he'd been run over at the plate.

Barrett will be eligible for free-agency after this season.

Koyie Hill has become Zambrano's catcher the past three starts. Henry Blanco, who was supposed to be Barrett's backup this season, has been on the disabled list with neck problems.

Bowen is batting .268 with two homers and 11 RBI in 30 games for the Padres this season.

AP NEWS
The Associated Press News Service

I personally think this was a really dumb trade for the Padres. Why trade for a guy that is so similar to the catcher you already have (Bard)? I completely understand why the Cubs did it, but can't for the life of me figure out what the Padres really got out of this deal.

[shoeshineboy]

I personally think this was a really dumb trade for the Padres. Why trade for a guy that is so similar to the catcher you already have (Bard)? I completely understand why the Cubs did it, but can't for the life of me figure out what the Padres really got out of this deal.

I guess it depends on whether you really think that Rob Bowen and Kyler Burke have much value. Barrett is a legitimate starting catcher (4th in OPS among NL catchers this year). His numbers are off this year, but his career numbers are really solid. Catchers are valuable commodities, and a team that is clearly in a pennant race may as well shore up that position.

[tomterp]

On XM this afternoon Ken Rosenthal said that the Padres catchers collectively were 2nd in the NL in OPS BEFORE the trade, and thus he found it hard to see how this was much of an upgrade.  However, he pointed out that Barrett is clearly having an off year, and that they would probably have considered that 2007 is an anamoly in evaluating what he could do for them.  He also thought that management may have done the deal just to try to do a deal that appeared to help the offense, ie the bowed to pressure to do something, anything.

Obviously we know why the Cubs did the deal.

[2k6nats]

I wanted Barrett, and would have taken this deal to land him in a heartbeat.

[UMDNats]

Barrett had problems with Zambrano. When Barrett was catching, opposing hitters had like a .300 average against pitchers. With other catchers starting, that number dropped significantly. This is clearly an addition by subtraction trade for the Cubs.