Michael Barrett traded to Padres

The Chicago Cubs have traded Michael Barrett to the Padres for backup catcher Rob Bowen, minor league pitcher and $1.5 mil in cash. This trade has been coming for the once prized catcher who seemingly got off on the wrong foot with Lou Pinella. When he came to the Cubs in late 2003, he was touted as their catcher for the next decade. He was strong offensively but the signs were always there that he was not strong enough defensively or highly regarded by the pitchers. Of late, he made several fielding and base-running mistakes and the handwriting was on the wall that his days with the Cubs were numbered. After his fist fight with Carlos Zambrano on June 1st, he clearly was going to be shown the door. This leaves the Cubs, once again, without a dependable marquee catcher. They haven't really had one since Randy Hundley.