http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=2256742

The Texas Rangers have acquired right-handed starter Vicente Padilla from the Philadelphia Phillies in a trade for a player to be named, baseball sources told ESPN.com. The deal is contingent on Padilla passing a physical exam with the Rangers.

 

Padilla, 28, has a 51-51 record with a 3.95 ERA in seven seasons with Philadelphia and Arizona. He came to the Phillies with Omar Daal, Travis Lee and Nelson Figueroa in a trade for Curt Schilling in July 2000, and posted back-to-back 14-win, 200-inning seasons in 2002-2003.

 

Padilla slipped to 16-18 the past two seasons, and new Phillies general manager Pat Gillick had been actively shopping him this winter. Padilla earned $3.2 million last year and is eligible for salary arbitration.

 

The Rangers, who traded Chan Ho Park to San Diego for Phil Nevin in July and let Kenny Rogers leave through free agency, have been in the market for veteran starting pitching to complement Chris Young and Kameron Loe in the rotation.

 

Texas made an early run at A.J. Burnett and offered Matt Morris a three-year deal for about $25 million before he opted to sign with San Francisco. The Rangers have also pursued Josh Beckett, Adam Eaton and Miguel Batista in trades.

Great trade for the Rangers.

I like this deal for the Rangers. They need pitching and thy got Padilla for very cheap. If he could go back to pitching like he did when he was an All-Star in 2003(?) then they really get a steal.

Wow, fantastic deal for Texas.

For what they gave up this is a great deal for Texas.

Is Padilla a groundball pitcher?

Is Padilla a groundball pitcher?

I believe he is. He has a good slider and changeup combo that he can throw down for groundouts.

2002 - 1.87

2003 - 1.36

2004 - 1.15

2005 - 1.36

 

Those are Vicente Padilla's GO/AO ratios over the past 3 years. Looks to me that he is a slight groundball pitcher.

 

The past two years he's struggled have also been the first two years Citizens Bank has been in existence.

 

It's a good trade for Texas, but I'm not sure I'd expect anything better then a 4.50 ERA.

TBIA isn't exactly too friendly to pitches so if he plans on being successful, he will definitely have to keep his pitches down. And with a fastball that gous up to 96/97, he can be successful but I think he'll definitely have some rough patches throughtout the season. It's a great move for Texas but I wouldn't expect much.

If Padilla is healthier this year than recently, and it appears he is for now, this is a great trade for the Rangers. Not a terrible move for the Phils who wanted to non-tender him anyways

This is a good move by the Rangers. Padilla has a good arm and IIRC has been hampered by some injuries but when he's healthy he's a pretty solid pitcher (definately better than some of the guys the Rangers had been running out there). If the Rangers can add another starter or two (one being more of a front line guy) they'll be ready to compete with Oakland for the division (note I don't mention the Angels cause barring some serious moves I don't think they will be very good).

A lifetime 3.95 ERA pitching in the NL will equate to about a 4.5 to 5.0 playing in Texas against AL teams.

 

So this is basically Kenny Rogers vs Vincente Padilla.

http://msn.foxsports.com/mlb/story/5162600

The Texas Rangers have acquired right-handed pitcher Vicente Padilla from the Philadelphia Phillies for a player to be named later, FOXSports.com has confirmed.

 

The Phillies possibly could replace Padilla with free-agent right-hander Sidney Ponson. The Rangers also have been among the teams pursuing Ponson, who was sentenced to five days in jail Monday after being convicted of driving while impaired.

 

One of the players under consideration to be sent to Philadelphia is right-hander Ricardo Rodriguez, who was 2-3 with a 5.50 ERA in 12 games for Texas.

 

The Phillies are targeting free-agent reliever Braden Looper with the idea of moving right-hander Ryan Madson into the rotation. Looper would be the setup man for closer Tom Gordon, who recently signed a three-year, $18 million free-agent contract.

 

Padilla has a 51-51 record and a 3.95 ERA in seven seasons with the Phillies and Diamondbacks. He's a sinker-baller whose style should be well-suited for hitter-friendly Ameriquest Field.

 

Padilla previously pitched for Rangers manager Buck Showalter as a member of the Diamondbacks. The righty came to Phillies during the 2000 season along with Travis Lee, Omar Daal and Nelson Figueroa in a trade for ace Curt Schilling.

 

Texas has been in the market for veteran pitching and made an early run at A.J. Burnett and also pursued Matt Morris before he signed with the Giants.