Who is the San Diego Padres’ Newest Acquisition, Eric Stults?

The Padres made what seemed to be a minor move on Thursday, the Padres claimed pitcher Eric Stultsfrom waivers.  The Chicago White Sox had designated him for assignment on Tuesday, and

because they had no options left, Stults had to clear waivers for him to remain a member of the WHite Sox organization.  He did not, as Josh Byrnes put in a claim and picked up the 32 year-old lefty.

Stults will be playing for his fourth different team in six years of Major League action.  He was drafted by the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2002, and he made his Major League debut September 5, 2006.  He has played for the Dodgers, the Colorado Rockies, and the White Sox.

In those six Major League seasons (inclusive of this year so far), Stults has a record of 8-10, and he has an ERA of 4.84.  This year for Chicago, Stults was actually pitching decently.  In 6 2/3 innings, he had a 2.70 ERA.

Many expected Stults to be a long-reliever or spot starter for the Padres.  I’m sure not many expected his first start to come just two days after being claimed by San Diego.  With Tim Stauffer landing back on the disabled list thanks to his elbow, Stults will get his first start as a Padre tonight against the Los Angeles Angels.

Should Stults not work out as a starter to fill the hole left by all the injuries to the pitching staff, the Padres have Kip Wells in Triple-A.  While the situation is not ideal and Josh Byrnes probably never would have liked to have either Stults or Wells starts, the list of players hitting the DL just seems to grow.

Stults has 25 starts in his career.  As a starter, he is 8-9 with a 4.33 ERA.  His fastballs sits at about 88-89 mph.  He also throws a slider, a curveball, a change-up, and will occasionally mix in a cut-fastball.

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