The problem of too many pitchers

Isn't it obvious? If you carry 23 pitchers on your 40-man roster, you're gonna have problems when you need to replace an infielder, or any position player for that matter. Let me spell it out: The Padres have no infielders on their 40-man roster whom they can call up to replace Everth Cabrera, should they choose to put him on the DL with a bitchy hamstring.

Matt Antonelli is the only infielder on the 40-man who is not on the major-league roster. And since he 1) sucks and 2) is injured again, he would be useless. The options would be trading for a washout like Chris Burke or Joseph Wilson, like the Padres did last year, or placing Sean Kazmar (.393 OBP in 52 ABs for Portland heading into's Thursday's game) on the 40-man and calling him up.

I'm not quite sure of the rules here. Either the Padres would have to immediately clear a spot on the 40-man for a replacement player or do so once they would re-activate Cabrera. But this is speculation. So far, Everth has not been placed on the DL.

 

Considering his performance so far this year, however, the DL might not be a bad option for him. Last year after a stint on the DL and on minor-league rehab, Cabrera came back like a storm. This year he hasn't shown that thunder.

The Padres would face the same problem should they choose to do something about their weak-hitting outfielders. Although Tony Gwynn has been hot lately -- and drawing a lot of walks, which is a really good sign -- Kyle Blanks continues through a horrible struggle. Among the rest of the outfielders, only Will Venable has been productive, with 14 runs and 11 RBIs, though his OBP (.295) remains pathetic. Oscar Salazar, Matt Stairs, Jerry Hairston and Scott Hairston simply are not hitting.

But the Padres' hands are tied. The two Portland outfielders who have most earned a call-up this year -- Mike Baxter and Chris Denorfia -- are not on the 40-man roster.

So the question is this: Who are the Padres willing to let go? Sean Gallagher might be the only option. He's with the major league club, though he seems to be the forgotten (or is it untrusted?) man. But what if the Padres need to make two moves?

 

A couple other points:

I'm really looking forward to this homestand. Like I mentioned, Gwynn is on a hot streak. At the end of last year, he was the only man on the roster with a better batting average at Petco than on the road. I hope he's on the verge of proving my earlier posts and thread comments about him dead wrong.

I'm guessing Kyle Blanks has these next seven games to find his stroke or be demoted, either to the bench or Portland. I understand players go through slumps, but Blanks just looks totally lost at the plate these days.

I really think the DL would be the best option for Cabrera, even if his injury is less than nagging. Let him study the game for a couple weeks like he did last year, then spend a week or two feasting on minor league pitching to bring his confidence back up.