In early November, San Diego sent OF-L Terrence Long, RHP Dennis Tankersley, and cash to Kansas City for LHP Darrell May and RHP Ryan Bukvich. The Padres sought to reduce their payroll a little while thinning their crowded outfield and picking up some potential pitching help.

May possesses solid control, but his limited strikeout rate leaves him somewhat dependent upon his defense. He proved quite effective in 2003 when the Royals assembled a decent defense, but his hit rate and ERA ballooned this year with Kansas City fielding the worst defense in the majors. As a less than dominant flyball pitcher, May struggles with home runs, however the move to San Diego should provide some relief in that arena. While the adjustments the Royals made to Kauffman Stadium over the 2003-04 off-season made the ballpark much more pitcher friendly, only Montreal's home parks suppressed home runs more than PETCO in 2004. The 32-year-old should provide the Padres with at least an adequate fifth starter.

Bukvich's impressive strikeout numbers offer enormous upside, but his control problems have prevented him from holding a steady job in the majors. The 26-year-old made only nine appearances in the majors this year, compiling a 7:7 K:BB with 4 H and no homers allowed in 7.1 IP for a 3.68 ERA. Pitching for AAA Omaha in the Pacific Coast League, Bukvich compiled a 60:30 K:BB with 33 H and 4 HR allowed in 47.1 IP for a 4.37 ERA over 38 appearances. He'll face heavy competition for a bullpen job in spring training and may once again spend most of the season attempting to improve his control at AAA, since without better control, he's more of a liability than an asset.

San Diego did not want to give Terrence Long a starting job next year or pay him $4.7M to serve as a reserve outfielder despite his usefulness in that arena last season. Long hit .295 with a .335 OBP and a .420 SLG on 85 H, 19 2B, 4 3B, and 3 HR with a 19:45 BB:K and 3/5 SB% in 288 AB while roving the outfield for the Padres in 2004. The 28-year-old possesses a bland skill set neither particularly good nor particularly bad in any area, making him an unattractive candidate for a starting role. However, if you ignore his overpriced contract, his defensive flexibility makes him a solid reserve. While OF-S Abraham Nunez enters camp as the favorite for Kansas City's starting right field job, the Royals plan to allow Long to compete for the position. Barring injury to himself or unexpected holes in the Kansas City outfield, I expect Long to see playing time similar to that which he received last year while posting comparable numbers.

Tankersley demonstrated solid improvement with regards to his control at AAA in 2004, compiling an 86:37 K:BB with 114 H and 10 HR allowed in 120 IP at Portland in the PCL. Unfortunately, those gains did not follow him to the majors, where he compiled a 29:17 K:BB with 35 H and 3 HR allowed in 35 IP for a 5.14 ERA over 9 appearances, including six starts. The 25-year-old still holds the potential to develop into an effective starter, but he may have difficulty obtaining the opportunity to smooth out his kinks at the major league level. Tankersley will compete for the Royals' fifth starter's job in spring training, however Kansas City possesses a number of youngsters the club wants to work into their rotation, so I do not know how much patience the team will exercise with him. Hopefully the change of scenery will aid in Tankersley's development, since he reportedly experienced conflict with some members of the Padres' organization.

Given that the cash included in the deal supposedly totals a little less than one million, the trade should save the Padres approximately a half million dollars. If Tankersley blossoms to the extent of his potential, San Diego will end up regretting this deal, but at the moment the trade appears fairly evenly balanced.

In late November, the Padres dealt 3B-R Billy Hogan to Seattle for LHP Randy Williams. San Diego drafted Hogan out of junior college with a fifth round pick in 2003. He split the remainder of that season between Idaho Falls in the Rookie-level Pioneer League and Eugene in the Short-Season Northwest League. In 2004, the Padres divided his time between Eugene and A Fort Wayne in the Midwest League. His statistical history offers little insight at this point given the 21-year-old's limited playing time and the low-levels at which he's worked. Hogan appears to possess decent plate discipline but neither power nor speed has appeared prominently in his numbers to date.

The Cubs drafted Williams out of Lamar University with a 12th round pick in 1997 but released him prior to the 2001 season. Following a short stint with Edinburg in the independent Central League, Williams signed with the Mariners in late September of 2002. Pitching for AAA Tacoma in the PCL, Williams compiled a 64:46 K:BB with 68 H and 6 HR allowed in 79.1 IP for a 3.63 ERA over 50 appearances, earning a September call-up this year. His control troubles followed him to the majors, preventing him from pitching effectively. On a competitive San Diego team, the 29-year-old should not spend any time in the majors unless he demonstrates substantial improvement with regards to his control. This trade lacks depth beyond one organization seeking to find treasure among another's scraps.