M’s Trade Chris Burke Back to Padres

Dave · April 20, 2009 at 9:33 pm · Filed Under Mariners 

Three weeks ago, the M’s acquired Chris Burke from the Padres. Today, the Padres took a mulligan on the deal, and re-acquired Burke from the M’s. They just lost their backup middle infielder to an injury and needed a live body to fill in.

Comments

32 Responses to “M’s Trade Chris Burke Back to Padres”

  1. smb on April 20th, 2009 9:46 pm

    So can we assess the organizational impact to the M’s as 0? Or did Jack get a back rub out of the deal or something? Please let me know so I don’t have to cry myself to sleep…

  2. San Diego Mariner Fan on April 20th, 2009 9:47 pm

    Any ideas on the best utility option if we were to move Yuni now that Burke is gone? To bad Corona is gone…

  3. Mr. Egaas on April 20th, 2009 9:48 pm

    Should have traded them Yuni.

  4. henryv on April 20th, 2009 9:56 pm

    Is there any way we can get Cabrera, their injured shortstop, in the deal?

  5. DMZ on April 20th, 2009 10:01 pm

    Not if he’s on the DL, unless you do the old PTBNL switcharoo.

  6. jld on April 20th, 2009 10:40 pm

    Can someone remind me what we gave up originally to acquire Burke, and what we might have got back for him this time?

  7. Jay Yencich on April 20th, 2009 10:44 pm

    Can someone remind me what we gave up originally to acquire Burke, and what we might have got back for him this time?

    Money, and probably the same.

    I’m trying to come up with an analogy for this and all I get is two roommates borrowing each other’s clothes. Burke might be a lucky t-shirt or something, I don’t know.

  8. marc w on April 20th, 2009 10:45 pm

    Huh; guess that explains why he was a late scratch on Sunday. Is this the last photo of him in Tacoma colors?

  9. hub on April 20th, 2009 10:58 pm

    This gesture may prove useful down the road.

  10. Breadbaker on April 21st, 2009 2:45 am

    I’m not sure I support these “courtesy” trades with our “natural rivals.” This is the same Padres club that held up the Red Sox for Josh Bard and Cla Meredith in exchange for Doug Mirabelli when Bard couldn’t catch Tim Wakefield’s knuckler. Has there ever been a courtesy deal like this where the M’s came out ahead? We certainly didn’t get value for Baek from the Padres.

  11. Benne on April 21st, 2009 3:36 am

    Curses, foiled by our hated rivals once again!

  12. Ballspiker on April 21st, 2009 3:59 am

    Question for anyone who knows… what’s the deal with Chris Shelton starting games at 3rd Base in Tacoma? Is this a potential plan for getting his bat back up to the bigs this season? I would be pretty concerned about the left side of the infield if we EVER saw Yuni and an out-of-position Chris Shelton over there together.

  13. wabbles on April 21st, 2009 4:31 am

    I hope it does prove useful down the road. As I remember, Burke was pretty good during spring training, although I don’t know how close he was to coming north with us. It’s a scary scenario (no backup middle infielders to cover for injuries) for the Padres though and one that the M’s easily coudl find themselves in as well.

  14. homi on April 21st, 2009 5:22 am

    and see here all this time i thought we got burke incase we needed a new utility infielder. Maybe, because our old one was going to be the new full time short stop for the season. I don’t know what to think at this time. Is this a vote of confidence in Yuni?

  15. Mere Tantalisers on April 21st, 2009 6:28 am

    So we’re not getting Cha Baek back in exchange? Seems fair.

  16. Soonerman22 on April 21st, 2009 7:55 am

    Should have traded them Yuni.

    Couldn’t agree more, I would even throw cash in one the deal!!!

    So, who is our backup for Yuni and Cedeno?

  17. joser on April 21st, 2009 8:01 am

    Not coming out ahead in these trades with our “natural rival” just stokes the fires of anger and resentment for intense interleague games that we all remember from years past and look forward to with such passion.

    …no?

  18. Tek Jansen on April 21st, 2009 8:01 am

    I assume that Chris Woodward, formerly of the Geoff Baker Blue Jays, would be added to the 40 and 25 man rosters in case of a long term injury to or trade of one of the three middle middle infielders.

  19. Evan on April 21st, 2009 9:17 am

    Not if he’s on the DL, unless you do the old PTBNL switcharoo.

    I’m pretty sure there’s no rule against trading an injured player. Teams just don’t do it because of the bad PR.

  20. DMZ on April 21st, 2009 9:18 am

    I’m pretty sure there is.

  21. Steve T on April 21st, 2009 10:23 am

    In order to trade a player on the DL, you have to get the commissioner’s approval.

    How does this shocking Chris Burke move impact the team in light of Mike Blower’s assertion that what determines how good a team is isn’t its one, two or three best players, but numbers 24 and 25? I mean, sure, we haven’t got anybody as good as Pujols, but how are we going to compete without Chris Burke?

  22. et_blankenship on April 21st, 2009 11:11 am

    So, who is our backup for Yuni and Cedeno?

    Chris Burke, obviously. He’s like the old pickup truck I share with my Dad. Whenever one of us needs the pickup for a few days, we just use it. No questions asked. “I left a message on your cell. I picked up Burke this morning – let me know if you need him before Sunday.”

  23. UpOrDownMsFan on April 21st, 2009 12:59 pm

    Any chance– I mean, it’s odd isn’t it, giving up our only backup middle infielder, when we’re having trouble at that position– any chance this is the first part of a bigger move with somebody out there (clearing a spot on the 40 man roster, and getting some money back for the move from the Padres)???

    Any chance? (Crossing fingers, toes, legs, eyes… everything that might help…)

    We do have a stable of young guns that seem to be overperforming at the moment. Am I in over my head on the wishful thinking here?

  24. marc w on April 21st, 2009 1:09 pm

    Just to be clear – Burke was never “our only backup middle infielder.”
    Tacoma’s using Chris Woodward and Callix Crabbe at both middle IF positions, and you’ve also got Oswaldo Navarro in AA if you were desperate. Burke was a decent insurance policy for 2B/OF, but Woodward’s probably a better defender (since he’s a SS), and the one thing the M’s really don’t need is more OF depth.

    He was semi-interesting as a pick-up, but returning him to the Pads doesn’t impact the org’s depth.

  25. SpokaneMsFan on April 21st, 2009 1:47 pm

    I hear the Royals have this really scrappy guy that can back up the middle infield positions!!!

  26. UpOrDownMsFan on April 21st, 2009 2:53 pm

    Marc-
    I realize we do actually have players playing those positions for us in the minors (I like Chris Woodward even) I was just referring to actual Major League experienced players, who you’d feel comfortable putting in as an every day starter at shortstop for a contending team. (He was reaquired by San Diego to be the backup short stop.)

  27. marc w on April 21st, 2009 3:02 pm

    Chris Woodward has tons more MLB experience.
    Chris Burke has started 87 games in the middle infield for Major League teams. Woodward has started 336.

    Moreover, Burke has virtually no experience at SS, with 81 of those 87 starts at 2B. He’s played much more OF than anything. The bulk of Woodward’s experience has been at SS. I don’t think Chris Burke would tell you that he’s a legit starting SS option. He’s got a ton of positional flexibility, but not for SS.

  28. UpOrDownMsFan on April 21st, 2009 3:15 pm

    Sorry (tail between legs). My Bad. But Woodward hasn’t really been an everyday short stop either since, what 2004, has he (hasn’t played more than 13 games there in a single season since then– With some really horrible seasons thrown in after that).

    I don’t think he’s the guy we want to take over at SS, that’s all I meant. Sorry to rile you up.

    My original point was good though, I think– I’d still like to see us trade for somebody and make Yuni the minor league SS with the most MLB experience?

  29. marc w on April 21st, 2009 3:34 pm

    I remain unriled, M’sfan.

    Woodward last played SS in the majors in 2007, but yeah, he was more of a supersub for the Braves then.

    Still, if your complaint is that the M’s org depth lacks someone that was an every day starting SS in the majors within the past two years, uh….yeah. You’ve got some high standards. Burke has never come close to that bar, however. So my original point remains that Burke leaving means zero to the team’s depth at SS. The Cedeno pick-up is the key there, and Burke would’ve been behind Woodward and possibly Navarro and Crabbe if for some reason the M’s lost 4-5 middle infielders.

  30. UpOrDownMsFan on April 21st, 2009 3:47 pm

    My complaint wasn’t that we lack someone in the minors with every day Major League starting short stop experience… My complaint is that we really need one of those guys, at the major league level. In fact, I wasn’t complaining at all in my original post– I was way excited that if we’re moving guys who can play that position, maybe we have a plan in place to make a bigger move, since Yuni seems to be a bit of question mark that Wak is not content with?

    That was my point… I just unfortunately used the phrase “our only backup middle infielder”, which wasn’t my point, and has been brought to my attention was a reckless line in my post, that detracted from my point.

    (If any of the minor league infield prospects are reading this, I’m sure you’re all very nice people. Can’t wait to see you progess to the majors. Go team!- or organization as the case may be.)

  31. Paul B on April 21st, 2009 4:07 pm

    He’s like the old pickup truck I share with my Dad. Whenever one of us needs the pickup for a few days, we just use it. No questions asked. “I left a message on your cell. I picked up Burke this morning – let me know if you need him before Sunday.”

    Now I have to wipe bits of donut off my computer monitor.

  32. JMHawkins on April 21st, 2009 4:17 pm

    Chris Burke, obviously. He’s like the old pickup truck I share with my Dad. Whenever one of us needs the pickup for a few days, we just use it. No questions asked. “I left a message on your cell. I picked up Burke this morning – let me know if you need him before Sunday.”

    I vote Comment of the Week for this one.

    PS: “Dad, I hit a railing with Burke last night and put a dent in the fender. Should be out of the shop by next weekend – sorry about that, hope it doesn’t cause a problem.”

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