San Diego and Cleveland made a minor trade, with the Padres sending outfielder Aaron Cunningham to the Indians for minor-league pitcher Cory Burns.
Cunningham was once considered a pretty solid prospect, but he’s now been traded four times since mid-2007 and is a 25-year-old with a career .231 batting average and .664 OPS in 392 plate appearances as a big leaguer. He’s been much better in the minors and is capable of serving as a solid backup outfielder or platoon starter versus left-handed pitchers, but that’s probably about it.
Burns’ raw stuff is underwhelming, but the 2008 eighth-round pick has racked up impressive strikeout numbers in the minors and saved 35 games with a 2.11 ERA and 70/15 K/BB ratio in 60 innings at Double-A this year. He’ll likely begin 2012 at Triple-A, but the 24-year-old right-hander could claim a bullpen job in San Diego fairly soon.
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- Matthew Pouliot - Dec 16, 2011 at 5:04 PM
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I gave Burns a nice projection for Cleveland. Wouldn’t surprise me if he’s the latest big relief find for the Padres.
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- troy10 - Dec 16, 2011 at 5:35 PM
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soo… are you some kind of Major League scout? What are your qualifications for your “projection”?
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- cur68 - Dec 16, 2011 at 6:46 PM
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psst, troy: He writes for these guys,
http://www.rotoworld.com/sports/mlb/baseball?r=1
Did very well last season projecting how teams and players would perform. If you wager on sports, Poulliot’s advice and predictions are kind of a must read.
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- Big Ed Robles - Dec 16, 2011 at 7:01 PM
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Beat me to it, cur. If that was sarcasm, it was a poor attempt…
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- WhenMattStairsIsKing - Dec 16, 2011 at 5:04 PM
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He looks kinda shady in that picture.
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- rohlo - Dec 16, 2011 at 5:13 PM
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low risk high reward for pads!!! can never have enough pitching!
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- Lukehart80 - Dec 16, 2011 at 5:17 PM
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Jose Lopez!
Aaron Cunningham!
What a day! If you squint real hard and can’t read too well, it almost looks the Indians signed Albert Pujols and traded for Roy Halladay.
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- xpensivewinos - Dec 16, 2011 at 6:34 PM
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Lines around the ballpark to the ticket windows are out of control. Someone’s gonna killed in the stampede.
