Three alums traded in Bartlett deal

FORT WAYNE, Ind. - The San Diego Padres traded four players to the Tampa Bay Rays on Friday to acquire SS Jason Bartlett. Three of the players are Fort Wayne alums, including INF Cole Figueroa, who led the TinCaps to a Midwest League championship.

Bartlett, an American League All-Star in 2009, fills San Diego's need for an everyday shortstop. In exchange, the Padres shipped pitchers Adam Russell, Cesar Ramos and Brandon Gomes along with Figueroa to Tampa Bay. All but Russell played in Fort Wayne.

Figueroa, 23, hit .319 in the regular season for the TinCaps in 2009. He was a key part of the team's Midwest League playoff run, leading the club with a .406 batting average and eight runs scored. Figueroa roped a go-ahead RBI double against South Bend which propelled the TinCaps to a playoff series win. He hit .303 for Advanced-A Lake Elsinore in 2010, then hit .290 in the Arizona Fall League.

Ramos, 26, pitched in Fort Wayne in 2005 after being drafted in the supplemental first round. He went 3-2 with a 4.19 ERA in the Summit City and made his major-league debut four years later.

Gomes, 26, spent parts of the 2007 and 2008 seasons in Fort Wayne, going 5-6 and posting a 4.10 ERA. He has pitched for Double-A San Antonio the last two years.

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