San Diego Sorrows: Why Are the Padres Releasing Veteran Leadership?

After falling a victory short of the playoffs, the Padres entered the MLB offseason with a goal in mind: lay low at the winter meetings. With that being said, the Padres have made risky and regrettable moves.

The offseason for the Padres started with a bang. Padres GM Jed Hoyer traded what were key pieces of the best bullpen in the majors, Edward Mujica and Ryan Webb, to get Cameron Maybin, a rising star in the Marlins organization.

Maybin, who is 23-years-old, will most likely play centerfield.

The next move in the offseason for the Padres was to offer arbitration to select players. Of the five players expected to receive arbitration, only three of them were offered it: Jon Garland, Kevin Correia and Yorvit Torrealba.

David Eckstein and Miguel Tejada, two leaders and veteran players, were not offered arbitration. It was then learned that Correia would decline arbitration, and Jon Garland and Miguel Tejada signed with the Dodgers and Giants respectively.

Questions still linger with the Padres. Who will fill the leadership role in the clubhouse? Who will play in the vacant second base and shortstop positions? Will Tony Gwynn Jr. re-sign with the club?

First of all, the Padres must sign a veteran starting pitcher off the market.

Jon Garland, who was an important piece of the puzzle, has left the ball club. As of this point, only three rotation pitchers are expected to pitch in a Padre uniform: Mat Latos, Clayton Richard and Wade LeBlanc.

Expect Cory Luebke and Tim Stauffer to possibly fill the holes in the rotation if a decent starter is not signed.

The biggest issues in the offseason are replacing David Eckstein and Miguel Tejada, who stepped up offensively and defensively. Their presence at the plate and in the field could hurt the Padres if replacements aren't found.

Unlike at the pitching or outfield positions, a decent minor league player is not ready for MLB work. This is where the free agent market could come in handy for the Padres.

In the outfield, the Padres look very strong. With the re-signing of Chris Denorfia, depth in the outfield is at each position.

Denorfia should find himself playing left field with Cameron Maybin in center and Will Venable or Ryan Ludwick in right.

This leaves Tony Gwynn without a starting job. He, along with Jerry Hairston, could be packing soon.

I feel that both deserve a utility or relief job, but it will be up to them whether or not they want to leave. If Gwynn decides to re-sign, it would build upon the outfield core.

Luis Durango, Aaron Cunningham and Tony Gwynn are young fielders who could backup the everyday starter. With these three on the bench, Bud Black could feel good using them in the late innings or as a pinch hitter in a tough spot.

These young men have proven to be clutch when it matters.

The Padres have opportunity to make large gains in the winter. With this opportunity, the Padres can make another run at the NL West Championship.