Padres Links: Paying a Pitcher, Petco Park, Padre Puffer in Prison and Players from the Past

Somebody is probably going to give Heath Bell a pretty big contract, sometime soon.

Heath Bell and Park Effects | FanGraphs Baseball
Some of Bell's success is a result of pitching in Petco Park, in front of superior fans. FanGraphs says there are cheaper alternatives.

Unless a team also figures out how to sign Petco Park simultaneously, his home run prowess almost certainly won’t follow him to a new city, and so the strikeout rate would have to return to elite levels for Bell to maintain his status as a top-notch closer.

RHP Brandon Puffer overcoming adversity as inmate in state prison - Examiner.com
Former Padres pitcher Brandon Puffer (2004) is hoping to get parole. He was convicted of burglary with the intent to commit rape. For that he received a 5 year sentence. He says he's a changed man and he's hoping to pitch again.

Homegrown Team: San Diego Padres - CBSSports.com
What if we lived in a world where our team looked even crappier than it already does? Actually I don't know, is that a better team?

What if players were only permitted to stay with the team that originally made them a professional? No trades, no Rule-5 Draft, no waivers, no minor- or major-league free agency ... once you are a professional baseball player, you stay in that organization.