Padres demote 3; 8 vacancies on 40-man roster

The Padres are in the midst of creating room on their 40-man roster, not a difficult task for a club that went 63-99 this year. Yesterday, the club removed three more players – infielder Craig Stansberry and pitchers Tim Stauffer and Kevin Cameron – to bring the roster to 32, eight fewer than to start the week. All three were outrighted to Triple-A Portland after the 29 other clubs deemed them unworthy of a $20,000 waiver claim. Next, the Padres will decide which minor leaguers to add to the 40-man roster by Nov. 20, when clubs file their reserve list. In December, unprotected roster-eligible players can be chosen by another club in the Rule V draft. Which minor leaguers will the Padres protect? Matt Bush, drafted first overall in 2004, is among the candidates being discussed, said Grady Fuson, the club's director of scouting... [read full story]