Kudos to Donovan Tate and San Diego Padres Brass on Signing No. 3 Pick

(Photo by Dilip Vishwanat/Getty Images)

With a handful of hours until the clock struck midnight and thus, any chance of signing top prospect Donovan Tate would also wither into the proverbial pumpkin, the San Diego Padres proudly announced that they had inked Tate to a deal on August 17.

Amidst the recent uncertainty and disappointment surrounding the franchise with the Jake Peavy trade, talks of moving Adrian Gonzalez and Heath Bell, and a second consecutive season where 100 losses is a very real possibility, signing Tate is a huge boost.

The No. 3 overall pick had spoken of bypassing the Padres in favor of North Carolina, where he planned to play football and baseball.

Tate's ultimate development has been hypothesized by Padres brass as Andruw Jones (in his best years) in the best-case scenario, and Mike Cameron in the worst-case scenario.

Even if Tate turns out to be more Mendoza than Mantle, Padres fans should applaud this move, as it speaks very well of the new ownership group.

Now, we can assume, gone are the days when "signability" was the team's greatest concern when selecting players, and not talent or potential.

The ugly spectre of Matt Bush and his woeful career in San Diego's organization will slowly drop away as San Diego's principal owner Jeff Moorad continues to order moves like these.

Already possessing a talented core of youngsters in Kyle Blanks, Chase Headley, Everth Cabrera, Clayton Richard, Mat Latos, Aaron Poreda and Will Venable, Moorad's commitment to the youth movement seems stronger than ever.

This time, the Padres were not frightened by Scott Boras, well-known in the baseball world for being adamant about shaking every dime out of owners in search of the best deal for his client, when it came to selecting a potential star.

Kudos should also be rendered to Donovan Tate, who did not brush aside the possibility of joining the Padres at any time.

His commitment should be noted, and Padres' fans should be especially pleased that he was in attendance at Petco Park the very night of his signing, watching his new team face the Chicago Cubs.

Despite the very slight possibility that Stephen Strasburg (who finally signed with the Nats at the stroke of midnight) would've been an attractive option for the Padres in 2010, it would seem that when appropriate, Moorad & Co. have no qualms with opening up the wallet.

And that, Padres' fans, is better news than any draft pick signing.

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