Rich get richer
Myers joins Padres' pen that includes NL saves leader
Posted: Thursday August 06, 1998 11:34 PM
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Round trip: Myers had 38 saves and a 4.29 ERA as the Padres' closer in 1992 AP |
SAN DIEGO (AP) -- The San Diego Padres
reacquired reliever Randy Myers on
Thursday, grabbing him off waivers from the Toronto Blue Jays to
give the National League West leaders a left-handed complement to closer Trevor
Hoffman.
Myers, who appeared in 66 games for the Padres in 1992, was acquired
from Toronto for minor league catcher Brian Loyd and a player to be named.
He saved 45 games for Baltimore last season before signing with the Blue
Jays as a free agent last November.
Myers, 35, was 3-4 with a 4.46 ERA and 28 saves with Toronto. He'll
give the Padres a tough lefty set-up man for Hoffman, who leads the majors
with 37 saves.
"After looking at several guys, we thought, why not go after one of
the best?" Padres general manager Kevin Towers said. "Having a guy like
Myers pitching in the eighth and ninth, with him and Hoffman and [Dan]
Miceli and [Donne] Wall, that gives us a strong bullpen.
"I think the one thing we've been looking for is a left-hander in the
bullpen. That's been one weakness we've had even since 1996," Towers said,
referring to the year the Padres won their second NL West title.
Coincidentally, Hoffman lost for the first time this season on
Thursday, allowing Rico Brogna's
RBI single in the 11th inning to give Philadelphia a 3-2 win.
"With Myers and Hoffman, we have two of the better closers in the
game," Towers said. "We didn't have to give up three of our top prospects
and didn't have to take away from the big league club."
Because the trade happened after the July 31 trading deadline, the
waiver process came into play where teams can block proposed deals. No
American League teams submitted a claim for Myers, and when the process
went through the NL in the reverse order of the standings, the Padres
submitted a claim.
The final team that could have submitted a claim was the Atlanta Braves, who are
known to have been interested in Myers and lead the Padres by two games in
the race for home-field advantage for the NL playoffs.
"That was part of our thinking," said Towers.
Towers said Myers told him he'd accept whatever role the Padres wanted
him in.
"Sometimes the closer is up three or four days in a row, and it allows
[manager Bruce] Bochy some flexibility," Towers said. "In that case, he can
give Trevor a day off and use Myers."
Towers said Myers will try to be in San Diego for Friday night's game
against Florida. Once he arrives, the Padres will have to move a pitcher
off their 25-man roster.
The Padres originally got Myers from Cincinnati on December 8, 1991,
for Bip
Roberts. After going 3-6 with 38 saves and a 4.29 ERA in 1992, Myers
was allowed to leave as a free agent as the Padres began a salary
purge.
Myers has pitched in the playoffs four times, including in the 1990
World Series for the Reds, when he saved one game.
Myers is the fifth veteran moved by the Blue Jays in the past week,
joining Mike
Stanley, Juan
Guzman, Ed
Sprague and Tony
Phillips.
Loyd, 24, was originally drafted by the Padres in the fifth round of
the 1996 draft. He was hitting .305 with four home runs and 35 RBIs at
Rancho Cucamonga in the California League. The Blue Jays said Loyd
will be assigned to Class A Dunedin of the Florida State League.
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