“Help Wanted Pitching”

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Desperate people do desperate things.

And so the reeling Padres, with only 2-healthy starting pitching, their minor league pitching staffs stripped bare by trades, have signed an unemployed free agent.

Jake Arrieta, once a dominating starting pitcher, has signed for the rest of the season.

What Rick Reuschel wasn’t available?

Arrietta,when last seen, had given up 58-runs in his last 58-innings with the Cubs.

His seasonal ERA’s had gone from (4.64) to (5.08) last year.  This year when handed his walking papers in Chicago, he left with a (6.88) ERA around his neck.

And this is the guy the Padres think can give them quality starts with 6-weeks left in the regular season?

The ‘group’, as AJ Preller likes to call his inner baseball circle, passed on others.

They did not want to overpay at the trading deadline for the likes of Zach Davies or Kenta Maeda.  They did not try on Alex Cobb or Dylan Bundy.

They went and watched Cole Hamels’ showcase workout, passed on him, and two days later the Dodgers signed him to a contract to get him ready for the September run.

Colin Rea, a once regarded Padres prospect, who has been traded a couple of times, went to Japan, put up an impressive (2.03-ERA), and asked for his release to come home.  He signed with the Milwaukee Brewers on Sunday.

Among the veteran unsigned arms out there are ex-Giant Jeff Samadzjia…ex-Reds Mike Leake…former Tiger-Braves Anubal Sanchez..and ex Pirate-Met-Juan Nicasio, and journeyman Wade LeBlanc.

Complicating things is the mess in the farm system, you know, the one that was rated #1 across baseball for years.

This has been a horrible summer in El Paso…heat-covid-refugees.  An equally bad summer for the Chihuaras in AAA-baseball.  As of Monday, a (35-51) record, worst they have ever had as a Padres affiliate.

Their top pitcher Is Parker Markell, let go by the Angels and Pirates, who don’t have enough pitching.

It’s the same at AA-San Antonio, where the Missions are (48-51).  Class A-Ft Wayne is (43-47) and Lake Elsinore is having a horrible summer too (39-50).

Think about what was the universally respected Padres farm system, now a combined 34-games below .500 and no ready made prospects.

MacKenzie Gore, the highly hyped #1 prospect, has not pitched in a minor league game since June 13th, regressing across the board.

Adrian Martinez is a top prospect at Double A..is not ready.

Adding to all that, if you add someone, who is not on your 40-man roster, someone comes off that 40-man list likely to be claimed by another team.

Not sure trading the likes of Eric Lauer, Cal Quantrill, or Joey Luchessi made alot of sense now in retrospect.  Not sure dealing prospects for Adrian Frazier and Jake Marisnik solved the pitching issues either.

So Jake Arrieta and his hanging curveball arrives in Colorado and will get a start on Wednesday.

Just remember (58 runs-in-58 innings) and tell me Arrieta can be a difference maker.

Help Wanted Pitching.  Help Wanted-GM who has made a bunch of bad decisions too.

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