Street is a nice replacement for Bell and if Street improves on his 2011 season, he will be a nice trade chip for the Padres come July next season. I thought the Padres would stick with Gregerson and use their resources more wisely but if they can get a good half season out of Street, it might be worth it. They'll definitely get a better return from what they gave up.The Padres found their Heath Bell replacement, acquiring closer Huston Street from the division-rival Rockies for a minor leaguer. MLB.com's Thomas Harding tweeted the agreement, while Danny Knobler, Scott Miller, and Buster Olney contributed to the breaking story. Harding says the Padres will pay most of the $8MM owed to Street.
Street, 28, posted a 3.86 ERA, 8.5 K/9, 1.4 BB/9, 1.54 HR/9, and 34.9% groundball rate in 58 1/3 innings for the Rockies this year, saving 29 games in 33 attempts.