Compiled by the Baseball America Staff
July 29, 2005

Travis Chick is becoming a trade-deadline expert.

The new Reds righthander has been traded at the deadline now in each of the last two years. A 2002 14th-round pick by the Marlins out of Whitehouse High in Texas, Chick was traded by the Marlins to the Padres on the final day of the 2004 deadline for veteran Ismael Valdes. The deal looked like grand larceny by the end of the season, as the 6-foot-3, 220 pound Chick was named the Padres top pitching prospect in the offseason after going 5-0, 2.13 in seven starts for the Padres at low Class A Fort Wayne with a 55-9 strikeout-walk ratio on 42 innings.

Following an MVP performance in instructional leagues and a strong spring training, the Padres jumped Chick two levels to Double-A Mobile, where he struggled to a 2-9, 5.27 during an up-and-down campaign that saw him allow two or fewer earned runs in 10 of 19 starts, but also three games in which he allowed eight or more runs. It was enough to impress the Reds, who sent third baseman Joe Randa to the Padres for Chick and fellow righthander Justin Germano six days ago.

We caught up with Chick the day after his Reds system debut with Chattanooga, where he allowed one run on four hits over six innings.

On learning about the trade: “We were getting on the bus to go to the gym and the pitching coach pulled me off the bus. My roommate just went to the big leagues and there’s been a lot of player movement in the system, so I just thought I was getting moved as well. At first they wouldn’t tell me what was going on, but (Padres general manager) Kevin Towers was in town and met with me and explained that he was sorry to see me go, but they’re trying to win now, and I was the one the Reds wanted if this trade was going to happen.”

On the next 48 hours: “I barely slept for three days. We were in Mississippi when it all went down so I had to fly to Mobile. We landed at 10 p.m., I packed until two in the morning, and then woke up for a 6 a.m. flight that got cancelled. So I finally get a flight to Knoxville, and then it was a one-hour drive to the park, so I show up late for the game, and immediately afterwards, we have a seven-hour bus trip to Carolina. So it’s been rough. You don’t really get to say goodbye to your teammates in person, and I still have a bunch of stuff in Mobile that my parents are going to go get and drive home.”

On being traded twice in two years: “I could be upset about it, but it’s kind of nice to think that I’ve been traded twice now for major leaguers. I’ll admit that it would be nice to settle down with an organization. But there’s a great opportunity here in Cincinnati. (Reds general manager) Dan O’Brien told me that the club needs pitching and I’ll get every opportunity to move quickly, and that’s what it’s all about for me--getting to the big leagues.

On his season so far, and his future: “If I stop walking people, I’ll be fine. I feel like I’ve thrown well and I’m competing on this level, but I look at my ERA and it’s over five and I’m like, ‘eeeewwww’. Overall, I’m happy. I’m 21, and I’m in Double-A and I feel like I have a legitimate opportunity to pitch in the bigs late this year or next. I can’t complain.”

--KEVIN GOLDSTEIN




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pretty good.