Carlos Villanueva peered over the throng of media crowded in front of Colin Rea’s new locker in the Petco Park clubhouse, locked eyes with his new old teammate and reassured the 26-year-old rookie.
“We still want you,” Villanueva said with a wink.
Rea appreciated the joke. The sentiment meant even more as Rea re-joined the Padres on Tuesday following a whirlwind weekend in which he’d been traded to Miami along with Andrew Cashner, sustained an elbow injury on the mound and then returned to the Padres.
“I would have fit well with Marlins but at same time I’m happy to be back,” Rea said.