Rays get Burroughs from Padres for Brazelton

DALLAS -- Cutting their ties with a player once considered a franchise pillar, the Padres sent third baseman Sean Burroughs to the Tampa Bay Devil Rays in exchange for right-handed pitcher Dewon Brazelton.

Like Burroughs, who lost his job at third and spent the second half of the 2005 in Triple-A Portland, Brazelton was a disappointment in '05 after serving as the Rays' Opening Day starter. He was 1-8 with a 7.61 ERA in 20 games, starting eight times in three tours in Tampa Bay.

The third overall pick in the 2001 First-Year Player Draft by the Rays, Brazelton intrigues the Padres with potential that was unfulfilled in Tampa Bay, where he was 8-23 with a 5.98 ERA in parts of four seasons.

"You're more apt to catch lightning in a bottle with a pitcher than a position player," Padres general manager Kevin Towers said. "With pitching, a change of ballpark, different league, a guy can get in a more comfortable environment.

"You look at a guy like Scott Linebrink as a perfect example. He's released [by the Astros], and he comes to us and finds a role and becomes an outstanding setup man. It happened with Bobby Jenks [closer for the World Series champion White Sox after departing the Angels organization].

"That's what you're looking for in a deal like this. We like the guy's talent, and we'll see if it works out for us. With Sean, we feel the change of scenery will be good for him.

"We went in a different direction at third with Joe Randa last season and now with Vinny Castilla. We wish Sean well; he's a great kid and we hope he takes advantage of this opportunity."

Towers negotiated the deal with Andrew Friedman, the Rays' young executive vice-president of baseball operations.

"This is a classic change of scenery trade involving two former No. 1 draft picks that are still young players with tremendous upsides," Friedman said. "We are excited to have Sean. He fills a need."

Burroughs and Brazelton are both 25. Burroughs, son of 1974 American League MVP Jeff Burroughs, first gained celebrity as a boy pitching and hitting Long Beach to the Little League World Series in 1992 and '93.

The Padres' first-round pick in the 1998 First-Year Player Draft, taken ninth overall, Burroughs made it to the Major Leagues fairly quickly, establishing himself as the Padres' regular third baseman in 2002. His best year was '03 when he batted .286 with seven homers, 27 doubles, six triples and 58 RBIs.

A .282 career hitter who became progressively better defensively, Burroughs did not deliver the power the Padres wanted from a corner infield position. He slumped early in the '05 season, enduring a month-long RBI drought before finishing with a .250 average in 93 games with one homer and 17 RBIs.

Rejoining the Padres in late August, Burroughs came through with what might have been the biggest hit of the season for San Diego as a pinch-hitter on Sept. 14. With the Padres one out away from getting swept three straight by the Giants in San Francisco, Burroughs stroked a two-strike, two-run double against Armando Benitez to force extra innings.

The Padres won the game in the 10th inning, 5-4, braking the momentum of the surging Giants. When San Diego held on to win the NL West, that afternoon victory was recalled as a pivotal moment by manager Bruce Bochy and all of his players.

Brazelton had no such shining moments in Tampa Bay, but it is the Padres' hope that he harnesses the talent in his 6-foot-4 frame and emulates Linebrink at PETCO Park. With his low-90s fastball and changeup, he has the stuff to succeed, the club feels.

"We're going to give him a chance to succeed," Towers said.