The Padres should make a move for Brooks Conrad

In a rebuilding season, the Padres need middle-infield help, on the cheap. They need somebody who can start and be productive, but who will also be the consummate teammate and help bring up younger prospects as they become available. When those young guys make appearances, we need a strong bench player with a proven record as a pinch hitter. We need fan-favorites who know to stay off of Twitter and instead quietly make a name for themselves by playing the game the right way. Padres fans love a hard working underdog (see Eric Owens). We need a true positive in the clubhouse. Somebody that shows up early, stays till the end and doesn't try to distract.

The Padres need Brooks Conrad!

Full disclosure, Brooks is my brother-in-law. If you've kept up with the blog over the last several years, you already knew that. If not, there it is.

I'm reading over on Talking Chop that Brooks is not in Atlanta's 2012 plans. That's fine. That team is probably a little overloaded with quality depth players and they're constantly geared towards playoffs.

The Padres on the other hand are obviously... obviously... gearing up for 2013 (or 2014 as it were). In that time, we need scrappy.

If the Padres move Orlando Hudson and potentially Chase Headley or Jason Bartlett, not to mention the semi-strong possibility of moving all three guys, we are left with Logan Forsythe and Andy Parrino on the depth chart gamely fielding three positions between the two of them. There don't look to be a lot of free agents that the Padres are willing to spend money on in the interim, but Brooks could fill at least two, if not potentially all three of those infield spots, while also offering a professional pinch-hitter a la Mark Sweeney or John Vander Wal. A switch-hitter to boot.

So, Josh Byrnes... If you are reading... Take a look at Brooks Conrad and what he brings to the table. WE NEED THIS GUY.

Go Padres.