SPECULATOR: National League spring camp questions
Feb 6 2014
Welcome back! Let's kick off our 2014 speculations with a look at some spring questions from the National League.
Why did the Padres want Seth Smith so badly?
There were some head-scratching moves out of San Diego this winter. Follow this thread: the Padres traded an arbitration-eligible RHP Luke Gregerson to Oakland in exchange for journeyman OF Seth Smith. Then they turned around and replaced Gregerson by signing Joaquín Benoit to a 2-year, $15.5MM contract. At the time, the theory behind the trade seemed to be that the Padres didn't want to pay Gregerson, but the Benoit contract invalidates that theory.
So, what was really going on here? The Padres might have really wanted Seth Smith, and the reason may be found on our park...
Almost!
You’re just a few clicks away from accessing this feature and hundreds more throughout the year that have a singular goal in mind: Winning your league. Subscribe to BaseballHQ.com here!
Already a subscriber? Sign in here
More From Speculator
A tour through some in-season QBaB leaderboards, including YTD best/worst scores and risers over the last month.
Jun 3 2026 3:08am
Jun 3 2026 3:08am
After last week's in-season "UP"side column, it's time to strike a more pessimistic tune.
May 27 2026 3:07am
May 27 2026 3:07am
With enough of the season in the rearview, we're ready to speculate with some revised "UP" side projections.
May 20 2026 3:07am
May 20 2026 3:07am
We've all had a bad day at the office... what if we grant a mulligan to some starting pitchers who had one as well?
May 13 2026 3:07am
May 13 2026 3:07am
An early look at who is changing their pitch mix the most... and whether or not it's working.
May 6 2026 3:06am
May 6 2026 3:06am
