Bud Black on the state of the Padres

San Diego Padres’ manager Bud Black joined Power Alley on MLB Network Radio to discuss a multitude of topics surrounding his ball club, including the acquisitions of Josh Johnson and Seth Smith, to the recovering Cory Lubke.

He spoke on developing more specialized training plans for specific players to avoid many of the injuries that plagued his team last year.

When asked about Seth Smith, Black stated that the team had been looking for a veteran left handed bat, specifically someone who understands the role of pinch hitting and can be a role player in the National League.

He states that the deal on Josh Johnson was a low-risk deal and that he was scouted and reported as being well back on his way to being a bounceback candidate after an injury riddled 2013. Johnson himself thought that coming back to the National League was a good move for his career.

As far as Chase Headley goes, Bud says that the franchise third baseman’s struggles stemmed partially from the pre-season finger injury, pressure to live up to his 2012 numbers, and some tough luck. He did state that he hopes that Chase is a long time Padre for the future and that there are discussions going on for an extension.

Last year’s San Diego Padres team finished third in the NL West with a 76-86 season. The team was hurt by injuries to both starting pitching and position players, but has shored up its rotation for this coming season by adding former Blue Jay Josh Johnson and expecting Cory Lubke to return healthy.