Time for San Diego Padres to Plan For Next Season

Normally I'm not one to write off a season, normally I'm the type to see if this team can turns things around, normally I have a small bit of faith left in my tank. That faith came to a screetching hault last night as the Padres dropped their second half opener 10-1 at the hands of Aaron Cook and the Colorado Rockies.

A few months ago, this team went through an eleven game stretch where they could do no wrong. They were pitching, they were hitting and most of all they were winning. 

Fans were excited, we all thought this was the team we'd been waiting to see all year long, but that excitement didn't last long as the real Padres squad came out and the losing continued.

As we get into the middle part of July and the trade deadline fast approaching, it's time for the San Diego Padres to take a serious look at their team and its minor league system and make some serious, and possibly unpopular decisions.

You'll start seeing names like Jake Peavy, Chris Young, Adrian Gonzalez and Kevin Kouzmanoff get the most mention in the trade rumors. There have already been a few articles about the Padres possibly moving Adrian Gonzalez, which would be an even more unpopular move than trading Jake Peavy or even letting Trevor Hoffman walk in free agency at the end of the 2008 season.

There is something that can be said for at least exploring the market for Adrian Gonzalez. If they can move him, they may get a truckload of talent in return which in the long run could very well prove to be the right move for San Diego.

In an interview with WEEI's Alex Speier, Gonzalez made it clear that his first priority was to win. “I’ve always said that I’m a guy who can be on a team that contends for a World Series. For me, the most important thing about playing the game is to win.  We all play to win the World Series. That’s our main goal every year. That’s my greatest desire.”

You could go over the pros and cons of moving an All-Star like Adrian, especially losing his glove defensively and his dangerous bat offensively. You could also argue that he's still cheap for the Padres, only costing them less than $4 million next season. 

The Padres can't hold out hope that just because Gonzalez is a San Diego native, that alone will keep him in a Padre uniform. If he wants to win and he won't be able to do that in San Diego, Gonzalez won't sign an extension after his contract is up, he will definitely explore the free agent market. 

So, assuming that's where this path is headed, doesn't San Diego owe it to themselves to at least explore what kind of package they'll get in return?

On the flip side the Padres do have young Kyle Blanks, first base being his natural position, waiting in the wings. Blanks is unproven at the big league level, but so was Adrian when he was traded from the Texas Rangers to the Padres in 2006.

As far as other players, Kevin Towers was asked about the upcoming trade deadline in an interview with Darren Smith of XX Sports Radio in San Diego. Towers mentioned that teams will probably ask him about the availability of guys like David Eckstein, Brian Giles, Mike Adams, Cla Meredith, Henry Blanco, Kevin Correia and Chad Gaudin.

Towers was also asked why he wouldn't trade Gonzalez or closer Heath Bell, which Towers responded by saying "it's not to say we won't." 

Towers explained that the franchise's first priority is to evaluate which young players and prospects they were committed to keeping and if teams asked about Bell and Gonzalez, "they need to listen."

Can you imagine that, at the trade deadline, if the Padres traded Jake Peavy, Adrian Gonzalez and Heath Bell? That would be the biggest white flag this franchise has ever waved and it would be considered the biggest fire sale since after the Padres' 1998 NLCS Championship season.

If they think they're losing fans now, just wait until those three guys are shipped elsewhere, then watch the attendance fall to record lows and not just for one game, but for an entire season.

I will say this, it is time for the San Diego Padres to start planning for next season.  They need to figure out their rotation, their infield and their outfield, not to mention how to get better offensively and re-bulster their bullpen. 

I know it's going to be a long second half to the season, but if Kevin Towers and company can make the right decisions for next season, they may be able to turn things around.  If not, it may be a long time before we see a winner in San Diego.