SAN DIEGO PADRES

Starting Lineup
CF Jody Gerut: started to show some power (10 HR's in 134 AB's after the all-star break) as the season progressed before he was shut down with an injury
2B David Eckstein: trying to break the string of veteran free agent 2B's who came to San Diego only to end their careers with terrible offensive seasons (see Marcus Giles and Tadahito Iguchi)
RF Brian Giles: over the last two months of the season, the 37 year-old hit .332 with 7 HR's, 16 2B's, 28 RBI's, 29 BB's, and only 10 K's
1B Adrian Gonzalez: the cost-cutting Padres still have the best cleanup hitter in the division; just think what he would do with some more protection behind him in the order and if he didn't play half of his games at Petco
3B Kevin Kouzmanoff: had career highs with 23 HR's and 84 RBI's but regressed with his control of the strike zone, finishing with a terrible BB/K ratio (23 BB/139 K)
LF Chase Headley: his high K totals (104 K's in 331 AB's) are a concern but most people believe he's going to improve in that area and turn out to be a very solid pro
C Nick Hundley: has power potential (17 HR's in 422 AB's between SD and AAA Portland) and did a much better job at controlling the running game than Josh Bard and Michael Barrett before him
SS Luis Rodriguez: played well as the fill-in SS after Khalil Greene went down with a season-ending injury; hit .300 in 50 starts during the season

Bench
C Henry Blanco: veteran backup will tutor Hundley and is one of the better defensive catchers the team has had in years
IF Edgar Gonzalez: not considered a good defender but he proved he could hit ML pitching in 2008, especially LHP's (.283 BA, .359 OBP), and again proved he could hit this winter by leading all players in the Carribean Series with a .423 BA UPDATE 3/29 - held off Chris Burke for a bench job
IF Everth Cabrera: rule V speedster should get some playing time at 2B and SS while providing some much needed speed off the bench if he can beat out Edgar Gonzalez for a roster spot UPDATE 2/28 - Cabera, Chris Burke, Edgar Gonzalez, and Travis Denker will battle it out for the final two bench spots UPDATE 3/10 - has exceeded GM Kevin Towers' expectations UPDATE 3/29 - looks like he'll make the team after Burke was released
OF Scott Hairston: has 25 HR's in 413 AB's with the Padres since '07 and hit .280 with 10 HR's against LHP's in '08
OF Cliff Floyd: 36 year-old fills the role of veteran left-handed pinch-hitter that can DH in AL parks

Starting Rotation
RHP Jake Peavy: most popular player on the Hot Stove this off season is still a Padre, which is a good thing if you're a Padre fan
RHP Chris Young: 27-19 with a 3.44 ERA in three seasons with the Padres but has battled through a variety of injuries over the past two seasons
RHP Walter Silva: UPDATE 2/20 - signed out of the Mexican League after recommendations by the Gonzalez brothers, who recently played with the 32 year-old in the Carribean Series; will battle numerous pitchers for the #5 spot in the rotation UPDATE 3/21 - making a serious bid for a roster spot after allowing just 1 ER and 2 hits in 4 IP in today's game UPDATE 3/31 - likely to assume the #3 spot in the rotation if Baek starts the season on the DL
RHP Kevin Correia: will have a chance to win a starting job but he has more success as a reliever in his career, posting a 3.49 ERA in 48 relief appearances in 2006
RHP Shawn Hill: signed to a minor league deal after being released from the Nats; with the news that Josh Geer has been optioned to the minors, Hill and Walter Silva are the leading candidates to win the #5 job UPDATE 3/27 - gave up solo homers to Nomar Garciaparra and Jack Cust in his first appearance with the team in 2 innings of relief; unlikely to join the rotation until he is ready for the increased workload so he'll likely start in the bullpen or AAA UPDATE 3/31 - looks like he'll be asked to step into the #5 spot to start the season

Bullpen
RHP Heath Bell: inherits the closer's job from arguably the greatest closer of all-time; one of the best relievers in baseball for most of 2007-08 but wore down in the 2nd half of '08, posting a 6.18 ERA in 28 games
RHP Cla Meredith: he's penciled into the 8th inning role for now with no other experienced relievers on the roster and with Mike Adams possibly out until the all-star break; has been mediocre since a terrific rookie season in '06
RHP Duaner Sanchez: after not pitching because of injuries in 2007, came back to match his 5-1 record from 2006, but had an ERA of 4.32 this time around, as opposed to 2.60 in '06 UPDATE 3/10 - GM Omar Minaya announced that Sanchez was being released UPDATE 3/15 - signed a minor league deal with the Padres; as thin as this team's bullpen is, Sanchez still might need some time in the minors to build up his arm strength (reportedly throwing 87 mph this spring) UPDATE 3/17 - GM Kevin Towers says Sanchez 'has a pretty good chance' of making the opening day roster
RHP Edwin Moreno: UPDATE 3/13 - 28 year-old has a legitimate chance of making the big league roster based on his strong spring performance thus far (6 IP, 0 ER, 3 H, BB, 5 K) UPDATE 3/23 - chances improve after the team optioned Thatcher and Patterson to the minors UPDATE 3/28 - very close to locking up a roster spot
RHP Eulogio De La Cruz: UPDATE 3/25 - acquired from the Marlins for cash considerations, the hard-throwing 25 year-old should have the edge for a bullpen spot; he's allowed 2 ER and 6 hits in 5.1 IP this spring
RHP Luke Gregerson: UPDATE 3/23 - player to be named later in the Khalil Greene deal is finally named and is a candidate to make the opening day roster, according to Manager Bud Black; click here for analysis from Executive VP Paul DePodesta UPDATE 4/5 - made the team over Arturo Lopez for the last spot in the 'pen
RHP Ed Mujica: UPDATE 4/1 - acquired from the Indians for cash or a PBTNL; click here for analysis from Paul DePodesta

Disabled List
RHP Mike Adams: would've been the clear favorite for the 8th inning setup role in '09 after a breakout season in '08 (2.48 ERA, 74 K's in 65.1 IP) but he could be out until the All-Star break recovering from shoulder surgery
RHP Mark Worrell: acquired in the Khalil Greene deal with St. Louis, he posted a 2.65 ERA in 103 relief appearances over the past two seasons in AAA-Memphis UPDATE 3/18 - shut down because of elbow pain; return is uncertain, making it very likely he'll be on the DL to start the season UPDATE 3/20 - out for the season; will undergo reconstructive surgery
RHP Cha Seung Baek: had a 1.71 ERA in 10 very good starts in 2008 but had an 8.70 ERA in 8 bad starts with nothing much in between UPDATE 3/30 - questionable for his first start of the season with a forearm strain

In Limbo
RHP Jae Kuk Ryu: former Cub and Ray will compete for a rotation spot; he has a career minor league record of 34-26 with a 3.52 ERA UPDATE 3/13 - 4 shutout innings so far this spring have in squarely in the mix for a bullpen job UPDATE 3/26 - claimed on waivers by the Indians and optioned to AAA-Columbus UPDATE 4/1 - waiver deal voided
LHP Justin Hampson: 2.79 ERA in 74 relief appearances with the Padres over the past two seasons UPDATE 3/27 - placed on outright waivers UPDATE 4/1 - released but will likely sign a minor league deal with the team

Loaned to team in Monterrey, Mexico
OF Chris Snelling: UPDATE 3/14 - 27 year-old signed to a minor league deal today coming off of an impressive performance in the WBC for Australia (3 HR, 9 RBI in 3 games); surely, his .393 career OBP in the minors was intriguing to the Padres UPDATE 4/2 - loaned to the team in Monterrey in Mexico, whatever that means

Returned to NY Yankees
RHP Ivan Nova: rule V pick is very likely to stick on a roster full of young and inexperienced pitchers UPDATE 3/27 - placed on outright waivers; could be heading back to the Yankees UPDATE 3/29 - returned to the Yankees

Traded
UTL Chris Burke: former top prospect for the Astros is still waiting for an opportunity to play on a consistent basis; San Diego might offer the best chance, although he'll likely have to play multiple positions UPDATE 3/29 - has been told he won't make the team UPDATE 3/29 - traded to Seattle

Reassigned to Minor League Camp
RHP Chris Britton: former Yankee and Oriole posted a 3.35 ERA in 52 relief appearances during his 2006 rookie season in Baltimore but only pitched 25.2 innings with NY in 2007-08; Padres are hoping he can step up and replace Bell in the 8th inning setup role UPDATE 3/17 - will not make the team; uncertain if he'll be released or sent to the minors
IF/OF Pete Ciofrone: breakout season in 2008, hitting .314 with 18 HR's in 370 AB's at AAA Portland while showing his versatility by playing both the corner OF and IF spots
RHP Oneli Perez: was hit hard in AAA in 2008 but dominated at the AA level in 2007, posting a 2.10 ERA with 89 K's in 77 IP playing for the White Sox organization
OF Emil Brown: 34 year-old had two very good seasons in Kansas City back in 2005-06 (.286 BA, 32 HR's, 167 RBI's, 16 SB's in 1072 AB's) before struggling the past two seasons UPDATE 4/1 - reassigned to the minors
C Eliezer Alfonzo: former Giant hit .266 with 12 HR's during his rookie season in 2006 but has been stuck in the minors the past two seasons UPDATE 4/1 - reassigned to the minors
RHP Greg Burke: best reliever in the organization in '08, posting a 2.24 ERA with 23 saves and 92 K's in 84.1 IP at AA-San Antonio UPDATE 3/13 - making a strong case to be in the bullpen on opening day (4 IP, 0 ER, 2 H, BB, 5 K) UPDATE 3/23 - chances improve after the team optioned Thatcher and Patterson UPDATE 4/1 - reassigned to the minors
LHP Arturo Lopez: UPDATE 3/27 - has allowed 3 ER and 7 hits in 9.2 IP this spring with 2 BB's and 9 K's UPDATE 4/1 - appears to have the edge over Gregerson for the last roster spot UPDATE 4/5 - reassigned to the minors

Optioned to AAA
IF Travis Denker: former Giant hit .282 with 7 HR's and a .373 OBP in 220 AB's during his first season in AAA in '08
RHP Mike Ekstrom: jumped from AA to the big leagues in '08 as the Padre bullpen was in shambles but proved he wasn't quite ready (7.45 ERA in 8 games)
LHP Wade LeBlanc: just as he was starting to pitch well in AAA, the Padres promoted him to their rotation where he was blasted, allowing 19 ER's in 21.1 IP
RHP Chad Reineke: acquired from the Astros in mid-2008 for Randy Wolf, he will audition for a rotation spot but is more likely to help in the bullpen at some point in 2009
RHP Josh Geer: former Padres minor league pitcher of the year had a nice debut in the big leagues, posting a 2.67 ERA in 5 starts UPDATE 3/2 - appears to be fully recovered from a possible elbow injury UPDATE 3/23 - optioned to the minors after getting roughed up for 17 ER in 14.2 IP this spring
OF Will Venable: was impressive playing every day for the Padres down the stretch after Gerut was sidelined, hitting .264 and playing a solid CF; the Floyd signing almost guarantees that he'll repeat AAA UPDATE 3/23 - optioned to the minors
LHP Joe Thatcher: made it to the big leagues after just 2.5 seasons in the minors to pitch well in the 2nd half of '07 but experienced his first bit of failure as a pro with an absolutely brutal 2008 (0-4, 8.42 ERA in 25 relief appearances for SD) UPDATE 3/18 - has allowed just 2 ER in 6.2 IP with just 1 BB and 9 K's UPDATE 3/23 - reassigned to the minors
RHP Scott Patterson: 29 year-old dominated AA and AAA (6-3, 2.14 ERA, 190 K's in 163.2 IP) in the Yankees organization for three seasons before being claimed on waivers by SD at the end of last season UPDATE 3/23 - reassigned to the minors
LHP Cesar Ramos: long shot to make the club after posting a 5.29 ERA in his first AAA season but he'll get a look in spring training as a #5 starter UPDATE 3/18 - has put himself in the running for the #5 spot after three shutout innings in his last appearance UPDATE 3/29 - optioned to AAA
OF Drew Macias: known for his solid defense throughout his minor league career, his offense came around in 2008 when he hit .288 with 11 HR's and 18 SB's in AA-San Antonio UPDATE 4/1 - optioned to AAA