Luke Judge

If you were to poll baseball fans on which web sites they visit to keep up to date on all the happenings in the Major Leagues, MLBTradeRumors.com would undoubtedly came out at or near the top of the list.

For those unfamiliar with the site, you can get a look at it here.

The site is not only popular with baseball fans but many players and front office executives also frequent MLBTradeRumors.com. Tim Dierkes, the man behind the site, and his staff do a tremendous job of linking to the best baseball beat writers and bloggers out there to keep their readers up to date on all the breaking baseball news and rumors.

With the July 31st non-waiver trade deadline less than a week away, who better to touch base with than Mr. Dierkes to find out what the Padres and their National League West rivals may be up to leading up to next Saturday?

Fortunately, Mr. Dierkes proved to be very gracious with his time and answered several queries for SD Sports Net. Here’s the interview (SDSN’s questions and comments are in bold while Mr. Dierkes’ responses are italicized):

SDSN -I want to thank you for giving me a few minutes of your time and sitting down to answer a few questions about the upcoming MLB trade deadline. I also want to say I love the website and visit it daily.

On the website, what prompted you to start it in the first place and did you envision then that it could become as big as it has?

TD - I started the site about five years ago, just with the thought that it would be cool to have all the rumors in one place and to offer up my thoughts. It was a hobby at the time, and the growth surprised me.

SDSN – I’ve seen many comments from players saying they visit your site regularly. Does it still surprise you to hear how popular your site is even among major league ballplayers?

TD – It does surprise me and it is always a thrill to hear that a player or executive reads MLBTR. I try not to think about it too much though because I want to maintain objectivity!

Now for some Padres conversation:

SDSN – Looking at the numbers, clearly the Friars could stand to add a bat. Who out there have you heard them linked to and who do you feel would be the best fit?

TD – I’ve seen reports linking the Padres to Jose Guillen, Miguel Tejada, Jayson Werth, Corey Hart, Ty Wigginton, and Jermaine Dye. Of those only Hart fits the goal of a player controlled beyond this year. The Padres could improve their offense at second base, shortstop, third base, and left field, so there are plenty of possibilities. I’m not sure of the asking price, but I think they should take a look at Jose Bautista of the Blue Jays. I’m also a big fan of aiming high for Werth, but I don’t expect that.

SDSN – Padres GM Jed Hoyer has said he would be more likely to deal from their collection of prospects rather than roster players. Who among the Padres prospects has come up most often in trade discussions with other ball clubs?

TD – That question is probably better directed to guys like Corey Brock, Dan Hayes, Tom Krasovic, or Kevin Goldstein. I will defer to Hayes, who has mentioned Jedd Gyorko, Adys Portillo, and Matthew Lollis, while speculating that Simon Castro, Cory Luebke, and Logan Forsythe would also get attention. I’d guess someone would like to get Aaron Poreda too.

SDSN – Despite the Padres standing at or near the top of many pitching statistics, I think the team still needs to add another starter to help them in the stretch. I am primarily concerned the Padres will pull the plug on Latos in September once he reaches a predetermined threshold of innings pitched. Do you think my suspicion is accurate; would the Padres cut Latos’ season short even if they are in the midst of a playoff race?

TD – Bud Black recently gave a 150-185-inning range for Latos. If he makes a dozen more starts at six innings per, he’s at 190. And that includes skipping him once. My guess is that the Padres would try to skip him two or three times to leave a little wiggle room for potential playoff starts. I don’t see them shutting him down if he’s healthy but hits a certain number of innings, if they’re in the thick of the playoff race.

SDSN – Of all of the available arms, who makes the most sense from the Padres’ perspective?

TD – Ted Lilly or Brett Myers, tough guys with experience.

SDSN – I’ve been asked many times if I think the Padres can win the division and who amongst their division rivals is their biggest threat. Of course I think the Padres can win it but I go back and forth between the Giants and the Rockies as to I feel is the greater threat. I think the Rockies are the better balanced team but the Giants have a terrific 1-2 punch at the top of their rotation. Who, in your opinion has the best chance of overtaking the Padres in the division?

TD – Don’t discount the Dodgers…but I like the Giants given their strong pitching top to bottom. If they add a bat they are the favorite for me.

SDSN – Which NL West team do you feel will make the biggest splash at the deadline?

TD – If we can count a non-contender, I’ll take the Diamondbacks. They could move Dan Haren or Edwin Jackson, plus veteran relievers and Adam LaRoche. I don’t see the Padres or Rockies doing much. Giants and Dodgers should be active.

SDSN – Who will be the biggest name dealt before August 1st and where will that player end up?

TD – I’ll go with Dan Haren to the Phillies, but I reserve the right to change that!

SDSN – I’ll give you a list of players frequently mentioned in trade rumors. Will you tell me whether each of them ends up moving or staying?

Jayson Werth – moving

Roy Oswalt – staying

Dan Haren – moving

Adam Dunn – staying

Ted Lilly – moving

Lance Berkman – staying

Prince Fielder – staying

Ben Sheets – injured

Dan Uggla – staying

Jake Westbrook – moving, July or August

Again Mr. Dierkes, thank you very much for taking the time to answer a few questions. Keep up the awesome work on the MLBTR website and maybe one day we’ll see a link to one of our posts on the site.

NOTE: This question and answer session took place just ahead of the announcement that Dan Haren had been dealt by Arizona to the Anaheim Angels in exchange for Joe Saunders and two pitching prospects.

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