[Looks like it's all over for the former Angel standout.]
Padres release struggling center fielder Jim Edmonds
By BERNIE WILSON, AP S****ts Writer
Friday, May 9, 2008
(05-09) 19:23 PDT SAN DIEGO, (AP) --
Jim Edmonds' batting average had fallen to .178 =97 more than 100 points
below his lifetime mark =97 and he clearly had lost a step or two while
chasing fly balls in center field.
The 37-year-old Edmonds was hardly the only struggling player on the
team with the worst record in the big leagues. His struggles were
glaring enough, though, that San Diego released him on Friday, a move
that will cost the Padres approximately $4.7 million.
The Padres viewed Edmonds as a one-year stopgap in center field and he
didn't even last six weeks.
"If we would have been 10-11 games over .500, we might have been able
to ride this thing out a little bit longer and wait for him to
hopefully better his numbers," general manager Kevin Towers. "But with
the struggles with the ballclub and him struggling offensively and
probably not the same defender we're used to seeing as well, we felt
it was time to make a change."
The Padres went into Friday night's game against Colorado with a 12-23
(.343) record. Even with Arizona's 3-1 loss to the Chicago Cubs, the
Padres were 10 1/2 games back.
An eight-time Gold Glove winner and four-time All-Star, Edmonds
strained his right calf in a spring game on March 6 and started the
season on the disabled list before being activated on April 5. A
lifetime .286 hitter, he was just 16-for-90 in 26 games, with one home
run and six RBIs.
While Edmonds once made spectacular catches while with the Cardinals
and Angels, he simply couldn't catch up to fly balls or had them hit
over his head.
Towers said Edmonds was "very apologetic" when he and manager Bud
Black informed him of the move.
"He said he felt great this winter, was in the best shape he'd been in
a long time, and thought he was going to have a real, real good year,"
Towers said. "He apologized to us for not performing at the level he
was accustomed to as well. We assured him it wasn't just Jim Edmonds.
He wasn't the only reason why this club is struggling now. It's a
handful of things right now."
Edmonds, who helped the St. Louis Cardinals win the 2006 World Series,
didn't return a phone call or e-mail seeking comment.
Edmonds' salary this year is $8 million. The Padres got $2 million
from the Cardinals when they acquired Edmonds on Dec. 15 for minor
league third baseman David Freese.
That deal came about quickly after the Padres were spurned by three
outfielders in less than a week, including their own free agents,
center fielder Mike Cameron and left fielder Milton Bradley. They were
outbid for Japanese outfielder Kosuke Fukudome.
The Padres called up outfielder Jody Gerut from Triple-A ****tland and
he started in center Friday night. Gerut, on San Diego's opening day
roster, hit .308 five home runs and 18 RBIs in 27 games with the
Beavers.
Towers said there probably will be other moves. But he said the team
is not inclined to bring up outfield prospect Chase Headley given the
current atmosphere and the fact fans might expect him to be a savior.
Headley was converted from third base to left field in spring
training.
Last year, the Padres fell one game short of their third straight
postseason appearance. This year, their offense has simply failed to
show up. Their team batting average (.232), slugging percentage (.340)
and on-base percentage (.304) are the worst in the majors.
"Right now were at the bottom, in the gutter, if you want to call it
that," Towers said. "We can't be worried about what people are doing
in this division, in front us. We just need to find ways to start
winning series. Hopefully if we can find ways to win series we can
start becoming a little bit more respectable. We're certainly looking
at maybe making more changes. How many, I couldn't tell you right now.
At this point in time, the way we're playing, I think you have to look
at it."
Gerut made the Padres out of camp as a non-roster invitee and went 1-
for-6 with a stolen base in four games before being optioned to the
Beavers.
San Diego also claimed left-handed pitcher Sean Henn off waivers from
the New York Yankees, purchased the contract of catcher Luke Carlin
from ****tland and optioned catcher Colt Morton to Double-A San
Antonio.
Henn (1-0) gave up an earned run in 10 2-3 innings over eight relief
appearances this season between Triple-A Tampa and Class-A Scranton/
Wilkes-Barre.
He is expected to join the Padres on Saturday, when they'll have to
make a corresponding move.
http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=3D/n/a/2008/05/09/s****ts/s130500D11.=
DTL
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