Manager: Bud Black
Arrivals: 1B Tony Clark, OF Jim Edmonds, 2B Tadahito Iguchi, SP Mark Prior, SP Randy Wolf
Departures: 2B Geoff Blum, OF Milton Bradley, RP Doug Brocail, OF Mike Cameron, 3B Morgan Ensberg, 2B Marcus Giles, OF Jason Lane, OF Rob Mackowiak, SP Brett Tomko
Offseason grade: D+
Starting rotation
The Padres will return one of the most potent 1-2 punches in the National League in reigning Cy Young winner Jake Peavy and Chris Young.
Peavy proved just how dominant he could be last year, going 19-6 with a 2.54 ERA and 240 strikeouts. Those numbers reassured the Padres after Peavy struggled in 2006, going 11-14 with a 4.09 ERA.
Don't expect Peavy to fall back to his 2006 numbers, though. A repeat of 2007's performance is very likely in 2008.
Young is one of the more underrated starters in the game. Young only had 17 decisions (9-8) despite starting 30 games and posting a 3.12 ERA, which proves just how bad the Padres lineup can be.
If Young can get any sort of run support behind him this year, winning 15-20 games is a real possibility.
San Diego's No. 3 starter will be Greg Maddux, who refuses to retire. Why? Because he still can be productive as an MLB pitcher.
Mad Dog went 14-11 with a 4.14 ERA last year at age 41. Don't think he can hold up throughout 2008? Maddux started 34 games and threw 198.0 innings for San Diego in 2007.
The best part about Maddux? He's clean. Take that, Roger.
Rounding out the Padres rotation, if healthy, will be Randy Wolf and Mark Prior.
Wolf was somewhat effective in his 18 starts with the Dodgers last year but hasn't started more than 30 games since 2003.
Prior, like Wolf, hasn't started more than 30 games since 2003, but his injuries have been more documented. Prior will start the year on a rehab assignment in AAA before likely getting called up in May to join the rotation.
That leaves the Padres with a hole at the back of the rotation for the first month of the season. And, honestly, they probably will have to fill a hole due to an injury to Wolf or Prior at some point, so let's take a look at who's in line to replace them.
Justin Germano should be the first choice for Bud Black. Germano started 23 games for the Padres in 2007, going 7-10 with a 4.46 ERA. Germano, 26, will likely start the year off as San Diego's No. 5 starter but could be moved to the bullpen or AAA if/when Prior returns.
Clay Hensley could be another option, but in nine starts in 2007, Hensley's ERA was 7.17. If Hensley has any viable role with the Padres, it's as a reliever.
Wil Ledezma is another worst-case option, but, like Hensley, if he has any value, it's as a reliever.
I like the top three of the Padres' rotation, but Wolf and Prior scare me.
If they're healthy, then San Diego will have a top-notch rotation. However, in the likely event that at least one (if not both) of them get injured, this rotation could be stretched thin.
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