Vicente Padilla On Waivers: Post-Mortem Post

Posted on June 5th, 2009 4:51pm by Evan Grant
Filed under Baseball, Texas Rangers

BOSTON - The waiver period on Vicente Padilla came in with a bang Wednesday and went out with barely a whimper Friday afternoon.

For whatever reason – his salary, his stuff or his erratic behavior – nobody claimed him.

But that seemed to be a foregone conclusion from the moment we broke the story Wednesday afternoon.

So why do it in the first place?

It’s an impossible question to fully answer because the Rangers won’t talk about waivers – hey, they won’t even officially acknowledge that he was available or that he cleared. We can at least take some guesses, though:

• They wanted to send a message: The next question, however, is to who? To the rest of the team, which has cringed for three-plus seasons every time Padilla goes looking to harvest body parts using a baseball as his extractor? To Padilla?

The waivers move came less than 24 hours after Padilla hit Mark Teixeira twice, earning pay back against Elvis Andrus (hard slide) and Nelson Cruz (head-buzzing). Placing him on waivers would let the club know that “Hey, we’re at least trying to get rid of the guy,” and it would serve as notice to Padilla that his time in Texas could be short.

The only problem with this theory is the vehicle: Waivers are supposed to be double secret probation secret. So, if the Rangers were trying to send a message, they were relying on a media leak doing the work for them. That’s hardly the preferred message delivery system.

Still the message did get out and prompted a “very good” meeting between Padilla and Rangers officials, I’ve been told.

So, if sending a message internally was the reason behind the move, it would have to be considered a success. Well, at least until the Rangers see what kind of approach Padilla brings to the mound on Sunday and beyond.

• They were advertising: The Rangers believe they are contenders, but just like other contenders, they have holes. They could use another bat, particularly if Josh Hamilton is going to be out past the All-Star break. They could use an extra setup man in the bullpen. Every contender could use a front-line starter.

To help fill any hole, they are going to have to move some salary around. Padilla, still due about $8 million for this year, is the largest salary the club could consider moving.

By placing him on waivers, it acts as a classified ad to other clubs:

“Need Starting Pitcher? Contact Texas Rangers. Willing to discuss financial arrangements on this $8 million model.”

It’s broadcast to the whole league that way.

The problem with this is that it doesn’t really save you much work. Jon Daniels could have sent an email to the handful of clubs who might legitimately have interest in him without risking animosity that could arise from Padilla finding out he’d been placed on waivers.

This just seems like too much risk for too little reward, but it might get a conversation or two started that otherwise might not happen.

• They are in deep financial trouble: The Rangers are for sale. The sale price, depending on where you look seems to be dropping. A wise buyer might hold out for several more months to see if Tom Hicks’ financial situation further deteriorates.

Hicks said in an email this week that business operations for the Rangers will operate under this premise “it’s business as usual.”

Maybe Hicks is playing down the degree of the financial situation, but if the Rangers are in deep, deep financial trouble, I’d expected there to be more guys on the way out the door.

It’s possible the Rangers are financially motivated, but doubtful that is the sole reason behind the move.

From where I sit, it seems the most logical reasoning behind the move was to try and send some subtle message to the team and Padilla that his casual head-hunting will no longer be tolerated. But unless the Rangers are willing to go the Sidney Ponson route and release a pitcher having some success, it simply seems strange.

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5 Comments to “Vicente Padilla On Waivers: Post-Mortem Post”
  • scooper @ June 5th, 2009 at 5:32 pm

    I would read it as a message to Padilla: we’re willing to let you go and get nothing in return, but no one else wants you (at least not at your current salary). If you want us to pick up your option (which I doubt will happen) or anyone to sign you next year to a decent contract, you need to quit the crap and compete hard EVERY START.
    I guess it could also be seen as a message to the team that management is fed up w/ Padilla, too, but I don’t really think so. If they wanted to do that, they would just release him (but they aren’t going to do that because he is still pitching well most of the time and he makes too much money). Getting rid of Ponson last year wasn’t too much of a stretch. They didn’t have as much invested in him. Also, we are actually competing this year and you don’t just give up your #2 starter to prove a point. I think it was more of a wake-up call to Padilla.

  • JustSaying @ June 5th, 2009 at 6:04 pm

    I think it is more likely a combination of the three but the way you make it so complicated makes me think our front office can’t think with that many balls in the air….or maybe it was a Wash “gut” call….

  • David in Cleburne @ June 5th, 2009 at 9:44 pm

    Wow. No other team wanted a knuckehead that quits during games when he doesn’t have his good stuff and is way overpaid? Sure, he has talent. But he sucks as a human being, as far as I can tell. Thus, he probably sucks as a teamate.

    As a casual fan, I’m on the Rangers this year because the future looks bright. Sue me, I’m on the bandwagon since the first of the season. I don’t want that guy throwing at batters for no reason, Wash’s excuses be damned. You can’t convince me he wasn’t trying to hit Doucheira, and I believe he was trying to get run because he was having a bad night and was quitting on the team. Like he has so many times in the past. F him. Or release him, I don’t want him in the room with Kinsler, Andrus, Davis, Salty, Feldman, Young, Murphy, Hamilton, Cruz, Harrison, Teagarden, or any of the other players. There’s a reason for that one bad apple theory.

    I just wish the jerk had to go face a pitcher after he needlessly plunked someone.

  • Fai Mao @ June 5th, 2009 at 11:21 pm

    I think it was both a message and a financial move. If the message gets through Padilla becomes a monster! If the guy could keep his head screwed on straight the Rangers have a hard throwing 30 year old starter who can dominate a game. If they can Padilla straightened out the Rangers are THE best team in the AL. Hands down.

    Don’t underestimate the financial aspect from this perspective: What happens if the Rangers fall out of the race? Staying in the race, indeed leading the division, and having a strong farm system adds to the Rangers value. Would you, Mr. or Miss prospective team owner rather a winning team or a building team?

    Imagine buying a team that goes to the World Series in your first year of ownership?

    Additionally, if the Rangers keep winning the keep putting rear-ends in seats and means more revenue which helps to make the team self sufficient if not profitable.

  • dude in Afghanistan @ June 6th, 2009 at 7:56 am

    Evan, two clear desires of the Rangers appear to exist, IMO, that you aren’t mentioning — and neither involves sending a message to anyone in Arlington. One goal is to communicate the Rangers’ view of the situation to the rest of the league, and another is simply to begin the process to begin the termination of Padilla’s employment in Arlington.

    Firstly, the Rangers are letting the rest of the league know — not Padilla — that his actions aren’t being condoned by the organization, and they want everyone to know they play the game the right way. If they can be seen simply as a bunch of hard-charging, blue-collar ballplayers who love the game above all else, they will experience a whole lot less animosity from opposing dug-outs throughout the league.

    What can also be observed happening here is the front office has made a firm decision to end the season without Padilla on the roster regardless of the financial implications — but are going to ensure they complete the due-diligence required to gauge whether he has any return value for the Rangers at all. If they can’t gain a significant roster addition, even a fringe prospect or two, or save some of the money owed, they may still be forced to cut him from the roster for the good of the team. The move certainly makes sense if the Rangers believe Padilla’s continued presence significantly harms their chances of winning the AL West title.

    The Rangers have previously warned Padilla to not relapse into his “Me-First” attitude. Just as he was told prior to the beginning of the last season, when he begins head-hunting early in the game like he did in 2007, he is basically saying, “We’re not going to win today, so I might as well get some payback before I leave, whether it strains the bullpen for the next several days or not.”

    What Padilla doesn’t understand is, the rest of the team continues busting their humps in the belief that they are still in the game. He’s quitting on the team, and not only does he sabotage the chances of a rally, he puts all of his teammates in harm’s way from the probable retaliation.

    I would venture that the Rangers will work the phones VERY HARD to trade Padilla prior to the 31st of July — and the Rangers will need to make the trade VERY financially attractive to another GM right now. If all else fails, and he rights his course somewhat, he may make it into mid-August before some contending, pitching-desperate team decides to eat a chunk of the last $4M or so he would be owed and offers a decent enough return to JD. If Padilla at some point lapses into bullheadedness during a game again, he’s probably going to be fined and suspended without pay by the team — and I think they could justify it against any union grievance.