After 8 years, Randa Returning to Pittsburgh

Joe Randa, third baseman on the 1997 Pirates, the last Pittsburgh team to contend for a division title, is returning to the city. The Pirates were close to agreement on a $4 million, one-year contract with Randa, pending results of a physical. Randa, 36, a career .285 hitter, has since played for the Tigers, Royals, Reds and Padres.- After passing two physicals, pitcher Kevin Millwood signed his $60 million, five-year deal with the Rangers.

Padres battle Dodgers for Wells

Padres General manager Kevin Towers yesterday renewed talks with the Boston Red Sox regarding David Wells and spoke to the agent of Pedro Astacio as division rivals also pursued both pitchers.
The Dodgers have reportedly put together a package of prospects in their attempt to get Wells.
And Colorado has made an offer to Astacio, a free agent who has a home in the Denver area and is the Rockies' career leader in wins and starts.
"We're talking with parties regarding both pitchers," said Towers. "There's still a gap with Astacio. The Red Sox know what we're prepared to do regarding Wells.
"We could wind up with both, one or none. We're still having discussions. But we're not going to overpay, either." Towers said he spoke yesterday to Larry Lucchino, the Red Sox's president and Towers' former boss with the Padres, about Wells. The pitcher, a San Diego product, has expressed a desire to conclude his career in Southern California. Most believed that to mean San Diego before the Dodgers made their own pitch last week.
But the Dodgers' package of pitching prospects could make them the favorites in the Wells derby. The Red Sox earlier rejected the Padres' offer of Woody Williams, although Boston is interested in outfielder Dave Roberts – whom Towers has ticketed as his starting left fielder and leadoff hitter.
"If we got Wells, it probably would mean a pitcher going back the other way," said Towers.
Since the Red Sox have rejected Williams, Jake Peavy is untouchable, Akinori Otsuka is gone and it's extremely unlikely that the Padres would part with the recently acquired Chris Young (from Texas for Adam Eaton and Otsuka), the list of starter candidates shortens to Tim Stauffer and Clay Hensley.
The Padres cannot trade any pitchers taken in last June's draft (rules require players remain with the organization one year before they can be traded).
Wells was 15-7 with a 4.45 ERA for the Red Sox last season. He was 12-8 in 31 starts for the Padres in 2004. Before signing as a free agent with the Red Sox last winter, Wells had talked to Towers about a post-playing career position with the Padres.
Astacio was 4-2 with a 3.17 ERA in 12 appearances (10 starts) with the Padres after they signed him off waivers from Texas in June. He was the Padres' second-most effective starter at the end of the season.
The Padres have reached an agreement with right-handed starting pitcher Dewon Brazelton for a one-year contract for $500,000. The Padres acquired Brazelton from Tampa Bay this month in a trade for third baseman Sean Burroughs.

Devil Rays sign Burroughs, talk about others

Sean Burroughs was somewhere off the coast of Mexico, landing one of the four 200-pound tunas he hooked on a 10-day fishing trip, when he learned he was traded to the Tampa Bay Devil Rays.
The former San Diego Padres third baseman, who came to the Devil Rays in exchange for pitcher Dewon Brazelton on Dec. 7, said he expected to move sometime this offseason.
"There were signs," he said.
First were the trade rumors that began circulating during last July's trading deadline.
Then came the trade that brought third baseman and former Ray Vinny Castilla to the Padres.
"It doesn't take a genius to read between the lines," said Burroughs, who agreed to a one-year, $1.5 million contract with a $2.25 million club option for 2007 on Monday.
Avoiding salary arbitration with Burroughs was the first of several decisions the Rays front office will make this week.
They must decide today whether or not to tender contracts to arbitration-eligible pitchers Lance Carter, Joe Borowski, Jesus Colome, Travis Harper and Trever Miller. If non-tendered, the players could be free to pursue free-agent deals with other teams or, they could be offered Triple-A contracts by the Rays.
The Rays are also in negotiations with Japanese relief pitcher Shinji Mori. The Rays outbid Cleveland and Boston and spent $1 million for the right to negotiate a deal with Mori.
They completed a trade for Los Angeles Angels third-string catcher Josh Paul on Monday, sending minor league infielder Travis Schlichtring to Los Angleles, and are still working toward trading outfielder Joey Gathright.
Trading for Burroughs gives the Rays another left-handed hitter, something that might prove valuable if outfielder/designated hitter Aubrey Huff is traded before next season.
Burroughs, 25, has played third base for the Padres during parts of the last four seasons, serving as the team's everyday third baseman for extended periods.
At the time of the deal, Rays executive vice president Andrew Friedman called the move a "classic change of scenery" for both players.
Burroughs, a lifetime .282 hitter with 11 runs and 133 RBIs in 432 major league games, agreed.
"(San Diego) was a great experience," Burroughs said. "But it was time to move on, a fresh start. I'll do whatever they want. I just want the opportunity to go out and play."

Padres, Astacio at odds

Pedro Astacio said no to the Padres' offer of arbitration yesterday, which could lead to the return of another former pitcher.
General Manager Kevin Towers said the Padres have had preliminary negotiations with free-agent Brett Tomko. The right-hander, who lives in San Diego, was 8-15 with a 4.48 earned-run average with the Giants last season. Tomko, 32, could fill a spot created by Astacio signing elsewhere or an opening created by a potential trade of Adam Eaton. Tomko was 10-10 with a 4.49 ERA in 32 starts with the Padres in 2002.
The Padres can still sign Astacio as a free agent through Jan. 8.
"We're not close, but there's still a chance," Towers said of negotiations with Astacio.
Astacio was 4-2 with a 3.17 ERA in 12 games (10 starts) with the Padres last season. He signed with San Diego after being released by Texas.
Today is the last day major league clubs can offer contracts to unsigned players, leaving the Padres with four more decisions. Failure to offer a player a contract makes the player a free agent.
Among the players not yet offered contracts are catchers Miguel Olivo, David Ross and Pete Laforest and pitcher Dewon Brazelton.
"We'll probably offer contracts to two of the four," Towers said yesterday.
Olivo and Ross were acquired late last July as the Padres desperately searched for a replacement for starter Ramon Hernandez, who underwent wrist surgery.
Acquired from Seattle in a trade for backup catcher Miguel Ojeda last July, Olivo, 27, became the Padres' regular in Hernandez's absence and finished the season hitting .304 with four homers and 16 RBI in 115 at-bats. Ross appeared in 11 games. The Padres recently acquired Laforest from Tampa Bay.
Brazelton was also acquired from the Devil Rays in a trade that sent former first-round draft pick Sean Burroughs to Tampa Bay. The Devil Rays Opening Day pitcher last season, Brazelton finished with a 1-8 record and a 7.61 ERA in 20 appearances.

Top Ten Prospects: San Diego Padres

While the Padres won the National League West and visited the postseason for the first time since 1998, it’s hard to call 2005 a banner year for the franchise. San Diego had to scrape to finish two games over .500, then was swept by St. Louis in the NL Division Series. The Padres won five fewer games than in 2004, had the lowest winning percentage of any non-strike-year playoff team in baseball history and would have finished closer to last place than first in the NL East or Central.
General manager Kevin Towers began to remake the team even before it wrapped up the division, shipping out malcontent Phil Nevin at the trade deadline. Towers made the first two major deals of the offseason, acquiring Vinny Castilla for Brian Lawrence and Mike Cameron for Xavier Nady in an effort to jump-start the offense. Changes continued in the offseason, as while the Padres were able to retain free agents Brian Giles and Trevor Hoffman, they lost catcher Ramon Hernandez as a free agent and traded Mark Loretta to the Red Sox for Hernandez' replacement, Doug Mirabelli.
A front-office overhaul preceded the roster makeover. Towers explored the GM opening in Arizona and emerged as a candidate in Boston, but remained in San Diego and enters his 11th season at the helm. Owner John Moores brought in some heavy hitters to assist Towers, however.
Former Major League Baseball vice president and Athletics GM Sandy Alderson was made team president, overseeing Towers and the entire baseball operation. Credited with molding Billy Beane into a star executive and promoting statistical analysis in Oakland, Alderson has begun implementing many of the same philosophies in San Diego. His power is only expected to grow.
Grady Fuson, who worked under Alderson as the scouting director in Oakland, joined the Padres staff as a special assistant to Towers in spring training and spent the majority of the year evaluating the system’s talent as well as evaluating top prospects for the draft. Following the season, his role was expanded to vice president of scouting and development. Fuson, who held the same roles with the Rangers, is in charge of revitalizing a flagging farm system. Longtime farm director Tye Waller was made the new Padres first-base coach. Bill Gayton remains scouting director, though Fuson’s fingerprints are expected to be all over the Padres’ 2006 draft.
Though the system isn’t strong, it did provide some returns in 2005 as a pair of astute minor league deals began to pay off. Righthander Clay Hensley, a relative unknown when he was acquired from the Giants for Matt Herges in 2003, emerged as one of San Diego’s top relievers in the second half and will compete for a rotation spot in the spring. Outfielder Ben Johnson, added via the Carlos Hernandez trade with the Cardinals in 2000, will get a chance to replace Giles.
Beyond that, the system is bordering on barren. The Padres’ four full-season affiliates combined to place just three players on Baseball America’s league Top 20 Prospects lists, none in the Top 10.