The Padres need all kinds of help on their infield. At the end of the 2015 season they did not have an established, every day starter at any of the four infield spots.
Plus, there’s a real debate on who should be starting behind the plate; Derek Norris or Austin Hedges? So Padres General Manager A.J. Preller has lots of questions.
Might Jose Pirela be one of the answers?
The Padres swung a trade with the Yankees to land Pirela on Wednesday. The 25-year-old native of Venezuela played in 37 games for the Yankees last year, hitting .230 with a home run and five RBI. He earned a call-up with a solid run at Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, where he hit .310 with three home runs, 23 RBI and 42 runs scored in 64 games. Most of his time was spent at 2nd base but he also plays 3rd base, shortstop and both outfield spots.
Pirela has been in the Yankees system since signing as a 16-year-old back in 2006. In nine minor league seasons he’s played in a whopping 860 games and actually made an appearance at every spot on the field except pitcher and catcher. That either means he’s versatile or doesn’t have a natural position.
To get Pirela the Padres had to give up Ronald Herrera, a 20-year-old pitcher who went a combined 8-7 with a 4.08 ERA, 104 strikeouts and 42 walks over 26 games (25 starts) between Single-A Lake Elsinore and Double-A San Antonio. Another Venezuelan, the Padres acquired Herrera in 2014 as the “player to be named” in the Kyle Blanks trade.
