San Diego Padres Look Forward To A New Beginning

The San Diego Padres come into 2009 after going through a rough season in 2008, just one game short of 100 losses.

The team's offseason didn't start the way the team had hoped, when rumors came out that the team was shopping ace Jake Peavy. Shortly after that rumor surfaced, the team decided they were not going to bring back closer and all-time saves leader Trevor Hoffman. So, not only was the team losing one face of the franchise, they were about to trade another face in Peavy. 

First, it was the Braves that seemed to have the upper hand, but the Padres were apparently asking for too much in return.  After the Braves bowed out, the Cubs came to light as the front-runner, even coming close to getting a deal done, but again it was the Padres who were asking too much in return, so that deal broke down as well. 

In the end, Trevor Hoffman ended up signing with the Milwaukee Brewers, and Jake Peavy remains with the club, although no one knows how long that will last.

With the team just a few days away from breaking camp and heading back to San Diego, they have yet to set their starting rotation, and they still have holes in the back of their bullpen. They may have shored up a few spots in their bullpen when they acquired 24-year old right-hander Edward Mujica from the Cleveland Indians on Wednesday morning, as well as acquiring hard throwing right-hander Eulogio De La Cruz from the Marlins. 

With those additions, as well as non-roster invitees Duaner Sanchez and Edwin Moreno, the bullpen will look a whole lot different than it did last season.

The one problem this team did have in 2008 was the lack of run support for pitchers like Jake Peavy and Chris Young. In 2009, that could change in a big way. So far this spring, there have been several players that have made an immediate impact to show that this team should be stronger than previous seasons. Newcomer David Eckstein is having the hottest spring, currently batting .439, but the one getting a lot of talk around camp is 6'6" 270 lb first baseman Kyle Blanks. 

Blanks has led this team in at bats, hits, HRs, and RBIs, an impressive feat for a player of his young age (22). Another newcomer being talked about is shortstop Everth Cabrera, a 21-year old the Padres picked in the Rule 5 draft from Colorado.

He has shown unbelievable speed but has, at times, struggled at the plate, but with the help of hitting coach Jim Levebre, he has definitely made improvements, and coaches say he is very willing to learn and get better.

It's no surprise that the Padres have been picked to finish dead last in the NL West. It'll make it that much more satisfying when they start to surprise late in the year. As long as they keep core players like Jake Peavy, Chris Young, and Adrian Gonzalez healthy, and the bullpen stays strong, this team should do a lot better than anyone expects.