Miller to Padres?

by Eli Greenspan on Apr 9, 2008 3:40 PM EDT

The Padres are worried that Colt Morton needs regular playing time down in Triple-A, and are looking for other options to back up Josh Bard. Padres GM Kevin Towers has always been a fan of defensive catchers, and Damian Miller is the best in the business when it comes to fielding. "I've always liked him," Towers said. Barrett could be out for up to two months, so if Barrett isn't back within two weeks, they might sign Miller and send Morton down. Miller is a career .262 hitter with 87 HR and a career fielding percentage of .995. His ability to direct young pitchers is impressive, and it amazes me that he was not signed. Towers values his young players, so I think he won't waste any time signing Miller.

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Here's a wild statement: Miller couldn't hit a ball out of a phone booth, but he's still an upgrade over Barret, given Barrett's complete lack of understanding on handling pitchers.

I think the Cubs collapse from 2004-2006 had as much to do with the switch from Miller to Barrett as anything else, including the injuries to Wood and Prior.

by Anonymous on Apr 9, 2008 4:22 PM EDT reply actions

I disagree. Barrett was key to the Cubs' offense. It was the managements fault for relying on the prior and wood.

by Eli on Apr 9, 2008 5:07 PM EDT reply actions

Blaming Barrett for the faults of Cubs management to bring in quality players is akin to blaming Bartman for why the Cubs didn't make the World Series.

by Anonymous on Apr 9, 2008 5:10 PM EDT reply actions

I know Miller is back home in LaCrosse WI and when the Brewers went in a different direction he said he would retire. Maybe he is reconsidering, but he sounded like he was calling it a career.

by Anonymous on Apr 10, 2008 1:06 AM EDT reply actions

"Barrett was key to the Cubs' offense." That's a whopper! He never totaled even 70 RBIs in any given year. Ever hear of DLee or Aramis Ramirez?

He's supposedly an offensive catcher, but I don't recall seeing a whole lot of offense from him. Certainly not enough to justify sticking him behind the plate for 9innings a game. Find me a catcher that pitchers hate to throw to more than Barrett. It's not a coincidence that the Cubs started winning last year after they dumped him.

I'm a big time Cubs fan, and I was in his corner for a long time, but they just look so much better without him.

by Anonymous on Apr 10, 2008 1:27 PM EDT reply actions