One San Diego Padres trade rumor down, one more to go--less than a week after threatening to keep both of their veteran trading chits around for seasons to come Josh Byrnes and the Padres announced they were signing Carlos Quentin, the slugging-outfielder piece of the equation, to a three year deal worth at least $27 million. The merits of that deal aside--I'm not sure I get it--that leaves us to wonder whether Huston Street, their coveted closer, left on the trading block.
Don't get me wrong--as a St. Louis Cardinals fan and a charter member of the relievers-are-overrated club, I kind of hope he isn't. But I was also, until the Padres really did sign Quentin, convinced he had to be; there was simply no reason for the Padres to keep Street when they could have turned some other team's panic into a quick prospect or two.
Now, though--well, anything could happen. So if this whole Carlos Quentin thing was just really expensive cover for their true intentions about Street--well, score one pyrrhic victory for them against the rumor-industrial complex, I guess.