Friar Vizquel

After a solid enough 2007 season that saw the Padres come within one game (resist urge to make Holliday slide comment) of making the playoffs, the team took a large step back. In 2008, Bud Black’s bunch finished 63-99, four games worse than the Pirates. They managed to outperform the Nationals, but some minor league squads could have accomplished that feat. Offensively, the team not only struggled but lacked consistency and durability. Only Brian Giles, Adrian Gonzalez, and Kevin Kouzmanoff played 145+ games. The same can be said of their pitching, where nobody made over 27 starts.

GM Kevin Towers cut ties with Khalil Greene this offseason, opening up a spot at shortstop. According to reports, that void may be filled as soon as this weekend, as the team has been talking to Omar Vizquel. Omar is not going to sign a 5-yr deal to become the new face of the team, or anything along those lines, but as a one season stopgap, the deal potentially makes sense.

Vizquel turns 42 years old on April 24 and is coming off of a disappointing, injury-plagued season. We all know his value primarily comes from the defensive side of the spectrum, as outside of the 1996 and 1999 seasons, his wOBA has been average at best. Even last season, when he partook in just 92 games, Vizquel managed a +5 UZR rating. Granted, he hit .222/.283/.267 with a .235 wOBA, but he was anything other than a liability defensively.

In 2007, with a full season under his belt, Vizquel saved just about +20 runs defensively. From 2004-07, he provided solid defense in 145+ games, and save for a couple of seasons, has been very durable. In fact, the value he gains above replacement simply for the number of plate appearances amassed generally counteracts his lack of offensive prowess.

Take a look at that 2007 season as an example. His offensive worth fell to -22.7 runs, but he produced a win total above average. How? Outside of the +20 defensive runs, he earned +6.7 runs for a positional adjustment and +19 runs for his number of plate appearances. All told, Vizquel played +2.3 win baseball that season, a number that fell below his marks from 2004-06. Over the last five seasons, his win values are +2.6, +3.4, +3.6, +2.3, and -0.3.

If Vizquel played more last season and lacked the health issues, he would have earned more runs for both of the adjustments. It is also likely that his UZR would have risen. Suffice it to say, the -0.3 wins is not, on its own, an accurate representation of what the Padres would receive. Most likely, they would be getting 140+ games and 600+ PA of +9 fielding and -17 hitting. With adjustments similar to those received in his durable years, Vizquel’s projection pegs him as a +1.8 win player next season.

Even at 42, Omar will be right around the league average given his ability to play stellar defense at the toughest non-catcher position. His fair market value would be in the $8 mil range. If Towers can ink Vizquel to a 1-yr deal for $8 mil or less, go for it. Anything requiring more funds or commitment would not be very wise, though. And if injuries are a big concern, an incentive-laden deal in terms of plate appearances would protect their investment.

The move does not have anything near the flash value of the major signings this offseason, but has the potential to improve the Padres while simultaneously providing them nothing more than a stopgap veteran. One has to wonder, though, if the team does not project to perform that well next season, why not give some younger players ample playing time? With Brian Giles also on the club, adding Vizquel makes the team even older, seemingly counterintuitive to a team trying to rebuild. Perhaps, then, the rebuilding will not impact the major league club until the trading deadline, or even 2010. Bottom line, though, in a vacuum, signing Vizquel would provide an overall upgrade over the departed Greene while not requiring much commitment.