The Padres just picked up heavyweight champ Michael Barrett from the Cubbies, leaving the incumbent Josh Bard in a precarious position. Now Bard isn’t nearly as good as his 2006 numbers suggest (.338-.406-.537, 9 HR & 40 RBI while splitting time with the Pizza-man), but he’s better than his 2007 showing (.253-.335-.349, 2 HR, 19 RBI in full-time duty) as his career line suggests (.267-.330-.408).
Bard would unquestionably be an upgrade over Wil Nieves, but he’s also an almost ideal backup:
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