Padres Get Grittier, Add David Eckstein

In a signing that's going to change no one's 2009 NL West predictions, the San Diego Padres signed David Eckstein to a one-year deal Thursday. It's expected that he'll play second base for them in 2009, which can only be part of their master plan to secure the first overall pick in the June 2010 draft.

Too harsh? Eckstein has long been a product of some people's fascination with intangibles like hustle and grit. (Champ Kind loves his musk over the tangible results provided by players that are actually good.) That makes sense since the value in his signing has nothing to do with wins and losses. The real reason for the deal isn't on the field, anyway, but the way it fits into the team's planned sale.

Eckstein will be playing second base, where the damage done by his glove is far less than when he's at shortstop, but he turns 34 in a couple of days and hasn't been a productive offensive player since, how to put this nicely, ever. Eckstein hit .265 last season with a .343 on-base percentage, numbers that don't figure to improve while playing in what should be an awful Padre lineup. FOX's Ken Rosenthal reports that Eckstein will hit either first or second, which should work out really well for opposing pitchers hoping to face Adrian Gonzalez with the bases empty.

Rosenthal also reports that he won't be guaranteed more than $1 million, which fits into the Padres plan to have a payroll of $40 million this season. Of course all that dirt Eckstein gets on his uniform will send the team's laundry bill skyrocketing, so it may wind up being a net loss for the beancounters. Hopefully for Padre fans, Jeff Moorad's purchase of the team goes smoothly so the uncompetitive 2009 team is a brief blip in the franchise's history.