Following Trevor Hoffman’s departure from last night’s 3-1 loss to the Twins, boos rained down from the bleachers. Boos, it would seem, intended for the future Hall of Famer after surrendering back-to-back home runs, including the game winner. This didn’t sit well with the Padres clubhouse.

“I didn’t like it,” said manager Bud Black. “This city should be very proud of a player like that for everything he’s done on the field and in the community. I don’t like it. I don’t think it’s fair.”

—–

“It’s disheartening, knowing what Trevor has meant not only to the organization but the city, and his level of accomplishment is unmatched in our game,” (Tony) Clark said.

—–

Jake Peavy, who started the game, said he heard the boos in the clubhouse. “I could not believe that,” he said. “That is as disheartening as it gets. I don’t understand it. When you look at all of his achievements, what he has meant, it’s ridiculous.”

—–

Said teammate Shawn Estes: “How soon they forget.”

—–

(Heath) Bell didn’t hear the boos that came after Hoffman gave up two home runs in an inning for the eighth time in his career. “If the fans were booing him, shame on them,” he said.

Hoffman hears boos in Twin killing

While we here at The Sacrifice Bunt don’t condone booing, we don’t condemn it either. There is a time and place to boo, although we couldn’t say if that time was following Hoffman’s poor performance. While there are shades of grey when discussing the merits of booing, the merit of the Padres post game conversation seems a bit more black and white.

The Padres lost last night 3-1. They again squandered a great performance by Peavy. In the bottom of the eighth, they had runners on first and second with no out and neither runner made it to third. In the seventh, they had runners on first and third with no out and two ground balls ended the inning with only one run scoring. Jody Gerut was caught stealing on what appeared to be a botched hit-and-run attempt when Edgar Gonzalez flailed futilely at what would’ve been ball four. In back-to-back at-bats, Gerut and Craig Stansberry were unable to get down sacrifice bunts. Oh, and the team’s increasingly unreliable closer came in and jumped his ERA up half a run.

It was an ugly game.

The fact that the Padres find it shocking that the fans could boo their performance seems naive or arrogant, or maybe a little bit of both. The team has fallen back into last place, setting themselves up for a potential rematch of the worsts this weekend when the pitiful Mariners come to town. The offense and pitching are below average. They let Milton Bradley slip through their fingers in the off-season and now he’s leading the A.L. They signed Jim Edmonds to man centerfield, then dumped him after a month and now he’s caught fire with the Cubs.

Now, it should be said that this season is an aberration. The current Padres management has put together the best run in the team’s almost 40 years and we haven’t even begun to reap the benefits of the new farm system. But that doesn’t affect the team that is currently taking the field right now. And the responses of the players from last night suggests they are more concerned with something other than their performance.

Again, we want to be fair. We’re sure that the players are as concerned about their performance as we are. But when the topic on the tips of their tongues is the reaction they got from the crowd, red flags go up. Maybe the fans aren’t what the players should be concerned about. The boos from the stands are a reaction to what is taking place on the field.

More disconcerting is the reaction of manger Buddy Black. For starters, he’s called out the entire city, which seems disrespectful given everything this city has done for the team. At what point does protecting become coddling? A good manager should stand behind his players, but at what point do these players take responsibility? If they continually fail to put down a bunt, a skill practiced by children, does he simply give them a pat on the back? And this doesn’t even get into the idea that Black is asking players ill-equipped to handle a task attempt to perform it anyway.

It’s not like this kind of whining is anything new. Be sure that if the Padres decide to trade a player sometime between now and July 31st that the Union-Tribune will be filled with quotes from players, decrying the actions of the management. We’ll leave you with some past highlights.

“Incomprehensible,” was Trevor Hoffman’s reaction. “Four other teams in the National League West are awfully excited. I probably need to take a day before I say something about this because I’m going to say something stupid.”

—–

“You have to trust your front office when you are in the middle of a playoff run,” Jake Peavy said. “But, man, to trade away your setup man . . . what kind of a message are we sending here?”

Padres trade Linebrink

Good win today.  To top it off, I haven’t seen any slow players waddle their way to certain death on the basepaths for no apparent reason in a while. I don’t care what you say, that is indeed a reason to celebrate.

To do that, I present to you a Jake Peavy desktop wallpaper, arranged and designed (except the photo, that was stolen fair and square) by me, Melly Mel Nieves.  The style is all serious status.  It’s an expression of the inner pain and anguish that the kids are feeling these days.  Woeful, if you will.

I hope you enjoy.  If you choose to share the wallpaper, please send people here, rather than directly to the link itself.  Thanks!

[1280 x 1024] [1024 x 768]

Check the new ‘Wallpapers‘ page link above for my other two. That’s all the “blogging” for today!

Deadspin has photos of some brown substance on on Jake’s middle and ring fingers, and possibly his thumb.

I tell myself I’ll never be one of those hometown homers who allows his defense mechanisms to continue telling himself what he wants to hear.

Part of me thinks it’s dirt.  Honestly.  I’m having trouble deciding how much of that is just my desire for it to be true.  My heart wants to see dirt so badly, and the heart can take over the brain when it wants to.

The brain in me thinks we very well could be seeing pine tar.  Why else would only three of his five fingers be covered in dirt?  Positive steroid tests are blamed on a tainted dietary supplement, and pine tar is played off as dirt.  That’s the system.

Which brings me to my biggest disappointment: the response.

“I laughed, to be honest with you. Anybody that wants to check me, feel free. There’s nothing on my hands that’s not supposed to be. I thought it was funny that it was such a big deal. I’ve got no problems with anytime anybody needs to check me.

Dude.  Jake.  Dude.  You’re laughing at this?  I don’t care if it is harmless dirt, or A-Rod swatting a ball out of Arroyo’s glove.  After all this sport has gone through, cheating is not a fucking laughing matter.

Hearing that from Jake has brought me out of my attempt at rational analysis of my own analysis to the point of insane radio call-in ranting.  Ok, I take that back.  Not that far.  Maybe Union Tribune article comment idiocy.  That’s still pretty low.

This is a serious issue.  Attempting to play it off this way rubs me painfully in crazy places.  It makes Jake sound the opposite of innocent.  Even if it was just dirt.

Since the beginning of the Petco era, the Padres have had one player finish in the top ten for MVP voting every year.

In 2004, Mark Loretta finished 9th, following a season in which he finished third in the league with a batting average of .335, fourth in the league in doubles, and first in sacrifice flies. He posted an OPS+ of 138 this year.

In 2005, Brian Giles finished 9th, following a season in which he finished third in the league with an OBP of .423, first in walks, and sixth with an OPS+ of 146.

In 2006, Trevor Hoffman finished 10th, following a year in which he lead the league in saves and finished second in the Cy Young voting. He ended the season with an ERA+ of 189 and a WHIP of 0.97.

In 2007, Jake Peavy finished 7th following a season in which he lead the league in ERA, wins, strike outs, and WHIP. He won the Cy Young award and rounded out the season with an ERA+ of 159.

The only other team in the entire National League who can match this boast is the St. Louis Cardinals. Albert Pujols alone has finished in the top ten every year, winning the award in 2005. He was joined by our own Hollywood Jim in 2004. Four teams have had a top 10 finalist three times: Atlanta, Houston, Philadelphia, and the Florida Marlins.

With this type of streak, the question in front of us becomes “Can we maintain?” Will the Padres be able put a player in the top 10 again? If they do, who will it be? Khalil? Adrian? Jake again? Let us know what you think.

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In case you haven’t heard, the Padres and Peavy are close to an extension that would keep him in San Diego through 2012. It’s a glorious day, with root beer raining down from the heavens. But why am I not happy? Most other Padre fans are. We’re locking up our ace through his prime years for about $16.6M a season. That’s a steal, not a deal.

You may recall how Alex Rodriguez, poster boy for big time contracts, chose the same day as game 4 of the World Series to let everyone know that he was opting out of his contract with the Yankees. It was a non-story in the end, as Rodriguez re-signed with New York, but many in the media saw it as a shameless move by a blatant self-promoter. Among those who voiced their displeasure with Rodriguez was the incomparable Peter Gammons. During his deconstruction of A-Rod, Gammons threw out this tasty nugget:

If you go back to 1985, and I haven’t gone back any further than that, there hasn’t been one team that’s won the World Series with one player who’s made more than 16% of the team’s payroll. This isn’t basketball. This is baseball, where the money gets spread out and it’s about 25 guys and a team concept. And that notion that one star [can get you there]—it’s a great idea if you want to lead Entertainment Tonight or Sports Center, but it doesn’t always do a lot of good when it comes to win world championships.

Manny Ramirez, the highest paid player on the champion Boston Red Sox, made $17M. That’s only 12% of his team’s payroll. But the Red Sox payroll was at $143M, so what does that have to do with Peavy and the Padres?

The Padres are not the Red Sox.

Peavy might be Manny Ramirez but what I said right there is still true. Can the Padres afford to put so much of their money in one player? This year’s payroll was $58M, down from almost $70M last season. For argument’s sake, let’s say the payroll gets kicked up to $80M by the time Peavy starts cashing $16.6M checks. Almost 21% of this team’s payroll will go directly to him. Assuming that Mr. Gammons was careful with his fact checking, and that something not happening for 20 years constitutes it not being a coincidence, we’re not going to win the World Series until 2013.

I don’t hate this deal. I think there is something to be said about making a big splash. I think it’ll help calm the fans down and show the more outspoken members of the team, like Peavy, that this team is committed to winning. But it’s hard for me to shake the feeling that it’s no different than saying that So-and-so who never walks and hits for no power is valuable because he hustles and gets his jersey dirty and all the other clichés that are out there.

In other words, this is an Eric Owens extension.

The deal, which would lock up Peavy through 2012, will average between $17 million and $17.5 million per season, according to a major-league source. It also could include a club option for a fourth year.

Love the deal from both ends. Peavy gets near the money he deserves, but recognizes that San Diego will never match the resources available to a major market.

On the Padres side, the team rarely commits to long term deals of this magnitude. The organization knows how special Jake is, and uses what payroll flexibility it does have to reward and build around its home grown star.

He will be 31 years old on the last year of the contract, 32 if the option is exercised.

Melvin Edit: Wondering on the details. Does his salary stay at $6 million and $8 million in 2008 and 2009?

Melvin Edit 2 (12/3) : We have confirmation from Tom Krasovic of the UT on Peavy’s deal, a little over $50 million over 3 years. There is new news however, a mention of a no trade clause along with a player, not team option for 2013. Both will significantly reduce team flexibility against anything unexpected.

Padre fans need no reminder of the ills of giving up trade flexibility, having watched Phil Nevin under perform his contract in 2005. It may not seem like a factor after Peavy’s 2007 Cy Young season, but a max effort guy like Jake leaves a very real injury possibility. Although if he is injured, actually finding a trade parter will be difficult enough. And since the contract only covers Jake’s prime years, the front office may not see a comparison to the old age decline of Phil Nevin.

Melvin Edit 3 (12/4): Krasovic from the UT and The Associated Press update on the Peavy deal, $52 million for tres años, plus a $22 million dollar team option with a buyout for $4 mil on the fourth año. The team option looks good to me, though the buyout seems a little steep.

Here’s a breakdown from the AP

A person with knowledge of the deal, speaking on condition of anonymity because the deal hasn’t been finalized, said Peavy will earn $15 million in 2010, $16 million in 2011 and $17 million in 2012. If the club declines the $22 million option, Peavy will get a $4 million buyout.

The guaranteed money in Peavy’s extension will average $17.3 million a season.

Lets talk no trade clause:

For the next three years, Peavy can veto a trade to any club. In 2011 and 2012, he can veto a trade to a select group.

Word up. Sounds like something might be possible in an emergency, but it’s still a bit scary.

Don’t get me wrong. Tony Gwynn is Mr. Padre. I don’t mean to imply anything different.

But who is the current face of the franchise? I think most would agree that honor belongs to either Jacob Peavy or Trevor Hoffman, depending on how you look at it.

I propose the team gear up to answer that question years into the future. Don’t sign Jake now, his value will probably never be higher. But be ready.

That means sacrifices are needed, namely with contracts the team hands out or acquires via trade this offseason. That probably rules out dreams of Andruw Jones, Torii Hunter, and any other phonetically spelled free agent center fielder.

Ray would say that re-signing Peavy at free agency isn’t very moneyball. I agree, to a certain extent. His value on the field probably isn’t worth the money he’ll see in a true free market, but every so often you have to make a ’soft’ type move. The value to the team brand is important as well. Just plan for it, and make sure it doesn’t happen often. (I’m looking at you Khalil!)

Ray edit: Mr. Padre shouldn’t live in another state

Melvin edit: I put some of these thoughts down before Torii Hunter signed.

The NL Most Valuable Copy Creator Award

I went to write a post on Jimmy Rollins and the NL MVP, but noticed Joe Sheehan said all I was going to write. Whatever, call me a cut-and-paste blogger, but he nails it:

This vote reflects the storyline, not the performance. All of the measures of performance that we have, from Value Over Replacement Player to Wins Above Replacement Player to…well, pick your favorite stat…yield roughly the same conclusion: that Jimmy Rollins was somewhere between the fifth- and eighth-best player in the NL this year…

There is one point I can’t so easily take credit for, however:

The three best players in the league finished fourth (Wright), seventh (Peavy) and ninth (Pujols) in the MVP balloting, not because their performance was lacking, but because their teammates were.

The teammate performance aspect of MVP voting I can claim, but who knew our homie Jake Peavy tied for the second best WARP in the NL?

This is the reason I get all snarky when people cite MVPs and All-Star births in evaluations. I view this as fun fluff to talk (and post) about, but it tells you something if a debate participant brings it up in actual analytical discussion.

Peavy is 12th-ever unanimous NL Cy Young

He’s the first pitcher to be unanimous since Randy Johnson in 2002. He’s also the fourth Padre to win the award, joining Mark Davis, Gaylord Perry and Randy Jones.

In terms of Padres pitching accomplishments, Peavy’s season is up there. His ERA+ of 159 beats Perry’s mark of 121 the year he won and Jones’ 120, although Davis had an ERA+ of 192 his Cy Young season. Hoffman, for that matter, has received votes for Cy Young four times, three in the top 5 and two in the top 2, and had his best season in 98 with an ERA+ of 263. But comparing starters to relievers is comparing apples to oranges.

Not that any of that should take away from what Peavy accomplished. He finished with the pitching triple crown and finished with a comfortable lead in each category.

Now he’s free to turn his attention towards signing an extension.

…this stat. But don’t worry, I got your back.

Gonzalez VORP: 38.4 (49th of MLB hitters)

Peavy VORP: 77 (1st of MLB pitchers)

Jake Peavy pitches every five days, but that doesn’t diminish his value when he’s the best guy in baseball every five days. When he does play, he dominates the opposition’s ability to score runs. That gets the Padres offense off the hook.

This year Jake was the best pitcher in the world. That makes him MVP of his team.