Footprints in the Snow: Padres

Footprints in the Snow is FanHouse's look at the paths to be forged by MLB teams this winter as they look ahead to 2010.

About halfway through the 2009 season, the San Diego Padres looked poised to be among the worst teams in baseball. They were 38-62 and being outscored at an alarming rate. All of a sudden, though, they seemed to put some things together. In their last 62 games, they won 37 (a .597 winning percentage). There seems to be a foundation of youth in place, though they aren't yet ready to compete with the Dodgers, Giants or Rockies in the NL West.

The biggest issue is their offense. It's been well-documented it's tough to score runs in their home park because it sucks the power out of anyone. True to form, the Padres were last in the NL in slugging percentage and 13th in home runs. Still, it's not just the ballpark. Their .321 OBP was 12th in the NL, which was a major they scored fewer runs than everyone in the NL except the Pirates.

More Footprints in the Snow

Who Might Leave

Henry Blanco, C; Brian Giles, OF; Adrian Gonzalez, 1B; Kevin Kouzmanoff, 3B; Heath Bell, RP

Shopping List

Regardless of how they get there, the Padres must find a way to generate more offense. They are never going to be a great offensive team because of their park (they were seventh in road OPS and 15th overall), but there are several places where they could stand to upgrade offensively. It's not like the defense was so stellar that they can't mix it up.

One place they could upgrade with just about anyone is at second base. David Eckstein is, frankly, a terrible hitter and fielder at this point in his career. He shouldn't be more than a good clubhouse guy as a backup, so they need to get a real second baseman. Also, the Padres could create a hole for a solid outfielder by trading either Kevin Kouzmanoff or going for the big splash by trading Adrian Gonzalez.

Moving Gonzalez would net the Padres a huge return, as he's a budding superstar. They would then move the gargantuan 23-year-old slugger Kyle Blanks to first base and would have an opening in the outfield for a free agent signee. Former Padre Mike Cameron would add some punch and is a very solid defender.

More likely, though, the Padres would trade Kouzmanoff -- a 28-year-old former prospect who has yet to greatly impress on offense or defense. That would allow them to move the still-developing Chase Headley to third (his natural position) and make a run at someone like Cameron for the outfield.

The best move would be to find a suitor for Kouzmanoff and keep the star Gonzalez. The Padres would then be able to use Tony Gwynn Jr. and Blanks in the outfield and sign a solid bat to join them. Additionally, bringing in someone like Orlando Hudson to play second base would make sense. This would give the Padres a pretty respectable offense and defense.

As far as the pitching staff, some rumors have them trading Heath Bell. This would make sense to not only help them financially, but most also agree the 32-year-old will never have more trade value. The starting staff looks to be young but has some serious promise, especially with burgeoning star Mat Latos entering his first full season.

Money Matters

Things aren't nearly as dire this time around because the Padres shed a ton of payroll in the past 13 months. After last season, they let Trevor Hoffman walk. This year, they traded Scott Hairston and Jake Peavy. Now, they'll let Brian Giles walk. In the end, this team should have enough money left to add about $15 million in payroll.

Don't expect them to be big spenders, so the thought of John Lackey, Matt Holliday or Jason Bay in Petco Park isn't realistic. It's possible they'd have enough to make a run at Chone Figgins, who would be a perfect table-setter and could fit at third, second or anywhere in the outfield.

Further, in some really great news for the future of the franchise, the new ownership group reportedly has their sights on a payroll in the mid-$70 million-range. Not this year and not necessarily next, but this should give hope to Padres fans. In the meantime, they'd be better served to only sign veteran free agents to one- or two-year deals as they see how the economy and the state of their franchise improve.

Offseason Goals

They want to contend in 2010, plain and simple. The 37-25 finish prorates to 97 wins over the course of a full season, so it's difficult to say they can't be in the mix. With that in mind, they better hold onto Gonzalez and build around him, unless they get at least two guys who can help the team win now. Upgrading offensively at second base, at least one outfield spot and maybe even shortstop would do wonders for the club in 2010. They need to be careful not to mortgage the future, however, because there is promising youth all over the place. In fact, the team would be better served to focus more on 2011 than 2010. Continue developing the youngsters, while not spending a bunch of money on a multi-year deals to aging veterans should be the path.