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So San Diego, already with the best record in the National League, officially kicked off the summer trading season this week by fleecing the Chicago Cubs, who are viewing the Michael Barrett deal as addition by subtraction.
Question is did the Padres just acquire a deranged psychopath bent on punching out the lights of every single one of his teammates?
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| Michael Barrett has right-handed power, experience and veteran Greg Maddux in his corner. (AP) |
Evidence in favor of the Psychopath Theory: Videos and still footage of Barrett's heavyweight dugout bout with Cubs starter Carlos Zambrano early this month and with White Sox catcher A.J. Pierzynski last summer, and harsh dugout words with Cubs starter Rich Hill several days ago.
Evidence in favor of the Padres adding a serious piece who can help them get deeper into October: Barrett's right-handed power, his experience ... and Maddux's evaluation.
"Kind of hard to judge somebody from a 20-second clip on SportsCenter," said Greg Maddux, a teammate of Barrett's in Chicago for the first half of last summer.
San Diego general manager Kevin Towers routinely talks with key players as part of his research and, in the case of Barrett, Maddux -- a teammate of Barrett's last summer in Chicago -- was one of the people he quizzed.
"Oh, I don't know what you're talking about," Maddux says with a sly smile.
"I asked Greg how Michael Barrett would fit into our clubhouse, and he said pretty much anybody would fit into this clubhouse," Towers says.
Though Maddux was said to prefer throwing to Henry Blanco rather than Barrett before he was traded to the Dodgers last summer, the right-hander spoke of Barrett in glowing terms -- before leaving the clubhouse with his new lockermate late Wednesday night to help the catcher get adjusted to his new surroundings.
"He's a complete player," Maddux said. "He works well with a staff, he gets along with his teammates. He's easy to root for. He can call a game, he can hit, he can drive guys in and hit behind runners. He's got occasional power."
It's pretty much a no-lose situation for the Padres as they work toward staying ahead of NL West rivals Arizona, Los Angeles and Colorado. Barrett has both experience and some right-handed pop -- the former something Josh Bard, who has done a good job catching, is gaining; the latter something the Padres lacked.
