Seattle dealt SS-R Rich Aurilia to San Diego for either a player to be named later or cash considerations yesterday. The Mariners had designated Aurilia for assignment on July 10th in order to make room for OF-L Raul Ibanez's return from the disabled list. Aurilia failed to meet the expectations Seattle held when they decided to deal SS-S Carlos Guillen and sign Aurilia as a free agent this past off-season. This trade represents a roster dump for the Mariners as the organization strives to open roster spots and playing time for youngsters now that the team has fallen out of the playoff race. Seattle reportedly will cover all of Aurilia's 2004 salary above a prorated minimum wage.

San Diego plans to use Aurilia as a utility infielder, giving SS-R Khalil Greene and 2B-R Mark Loretta occasional days off, since both have played almost continuously this season. The Padres hope the addition will help keep Greene and Loretta fresh as the team battles against the Dodgers and Giants for the division title or at least the Wild Card. After shooting through San Diego's minor league system, Greene needs to play regularly to continue his development, so giving Aurilia too many starts at short would be a mistake, but Greene could probably use a day off now and then to stave off exhaustion. Aurilia may also pair with CR-R Jeff Cirillo in spelling 3B-L Sean Burroughs against some left-handed pitching.

Depending on how heavily the Padres lean on Aurilia, I think this should be a good move for San Diego. The 32-year-old's 2004 skills are not markedly different from those he's displayed during more successful seasons. Additionally, he returns to the division, if not the team, that was his only home for the first nine seasons of his major league career, which could spur a recovery. Of course without knowing the root of his slump, predicting a rebound is difficult and we do not know how he will adapt to a reserve role. Since cash may be substituted for the player to be named later, the Mariners likely will not receive a particularly promising prospect from the Padres. Consequently, San Diego may receive a solid bargain, but despite Aurilia's potential to bounce back, I do not believe Seattle could have found a significantly better offer.

1B-R Phil Nevin hit the disabled list on July 5th due to frayed cartilage in his right knee. He underwent surgery to repair the damage that day and has already resumed baseball activities. Consequently, the Padres hope to activate him from the disabled list later this week.

San Diego called up OF-R Xavier Nady to replace Nevin on the roster. Nady's plate discipline could still use some fine-tuning, but he's tearing up AAA. Unfortunately, the Padres have blocked him at the major league level with veterans, so unless there is an injury at the big league level there is no place for him to play regularly. As a result, the 25-year-old is expected to return to the minors when Nevin comes off the DL, and he may be used as trade bait to acquire additional help for San Diego's playoff push.

One of the reasons the Padres were particularly interested in Aurilia was that the club demoted IF-L Ramon Vazquez on July 4th. Between Vazquez's injury earlier this year and the entrenched positions of Greene and Loretta as the starters at short and second respectively, he was rusty and unable to provide much assistance off the bench. San Diego sent him to the minors, hoping that after playing regularly for a time, he could return to the majors as a more effective reserve. The 27-year-old continues to demonstrate excellent plate discipline and has even shown some power at AAA over the last couple of weeks but much of his contact remains ineffective, leaving his batting average discouragingly low. I do not expect him back in the majors before September.

In conjunction with Vazquez's demotion, San Diego also sent down OF-L Kerry Robinson while signing OF-L Darren Bragg and promoting RHP Ricky Stone. As expected, Stone has been a useful addition to the Padres' bullpen, proving more dominant than ever before.

Bragg requested his release from the Yankees when he decided New York was unlikely to promote him, and San Diego readily discarded a productive Robinson in order to add Bragg to their bench. Unsurprisingly, the 34-year-old has done nothing in his handful of at-bats to encourage the Padres to find playing time for him, and San Diego plans to demote Bragg today in order to make room for Aurilia on the roster, though he likely will opt for free agency over accepting a minor league assignment.

Robinson was performing effectively as a reserve outfielder and had the only useful speed skills on the Padres' bench, so I fail to understand why San Diego found Bragg more attractive. The 30-year-old deserves to rejoin the team in September, but since he's been removed from the 40-man roster, I'm not sure he will receive that opportunity.

Trading RHP Brandon Puffer to the Red Sox in early July, opened up a roster spot for RHP Jake Peavy's return from the disabled list. With the All-Star Break falling right after his return, the Padres have yet to run Peavy deep into a start since he rejoined the rotation, and he's had a little trouble with his control, but we should see the dominant pitcher of the first two months of the season once he settles into his routine again.