The San Diego Padres have made no secret of the fact that they're going with a youth movement to try and rebuild their franchise. They've traded Jake Peavy for four young pitchers, and reportedly came close to moving first baseman Adrian Gonzalez at the trade deadline as well.So, with that youth movement in mind, the Padres went out and announced on Saturday that they'd signed second baseman David Eckstein to a contract extension. Yes, he's 34 years old, but he looks like he's 13, so it's cool.
Eckstein let the team know shortly before the All Star break that he'd like to be back next year and that he likes being in San Diego as a part of this team.
"I understand where the club is headed," Eckstein said yesterday. "They are going to the youth movement.
"It's good to be a part of that. I like what I'm seeing already. To see (Everth) Cabrera at short and the ability he has. Plus (Kyle) Blanks and (Will) Venable, I see the improvement.
"I see a lot of good things coming here, (including) the pitchers we got for (Jake) Peavy. I believe we're not far off from putting this team together and getting to the playoffs.
"I really enjoy coming to the park. I go home with a smile on my face. And that hasn't always been the case. It's going to be great to help guys fulfill their careers and reach their full potentials in this game."
As you'd expect him to say, Padres manager Bud Black likes having Eckstein around for his leadership in the clubhouse. I mean, it certainly can't be his .255 average. Eckstein has played solid defense for the Padres at second base as well. His range isn't the greatest, but he has only made one error this season and his arm isn't a problem at second base like it was a shortstop.
