What does a low-key team try to do around deadline time? Why, make a low-key move, of course. Enter the San Diego Padres:
MLB Trade Rumors: Padres Sniffing Around Pirates’ Paul Maholm
The San Diego Padres and Pirates are not close to a trade involving Paul Maholm, according to a high-ranking team official here at Busch Stadium, but there are ongoing discussions in multiple directions.
...
Of the Padres, the official described them as “just fishing.”
Maholm’s exactly the sort of B- or C-level player you’d expect a team like the Padres to target. The groundballing lefty has seen his numbers trend in the wrong direction, but he’s under contract for a reasonable price through next season with a 2012 option, and he’d serve as rotation depth and an effective lefty killer. For his career, Maholm has allowed just a .573 OPS against left-handed batters, and an .816 OPS against righties.
With that said, while Maholm has his uses, he’s not really the kind of player for whom a front office should splurge. The Pirates can ask for a starting pitcher in return all they want, but they’re unlikely to be offered a very good one. If the Pirates continue to ask as much as they are for Maholm, the Padres will probably look elsewhere, and perhaps place another call about Jake Westbrook.
See More:
