Talent Is Set; Going For It Now

Based upon the talent put together on the 2011 San Diego Padres, one can come to the assumption that they are going for it all right now. Look at the current roster as of today. They have an amazing speedy and agile outfield. Ryan Ludwick, Cameron Maybin, and Will Venable provide the speed, the agility, and the tenacity to put forth quite an effort in the outfield, plus playing in Petco Park will put the fear of God into the opposing hitters knowing that even a for sure home run anywhere else would probably be caught by one of the three in the outfield. Having Eric Patterson as an alternate works wonders as well.

They also have one of the best infields in all of professional baseball. Think about it, Headley plays third base and he is just going to get better probably, and Jason Bartlett along with Orlando Hudson will probably end up becoming one of the best double play partners in the major leagues. That, and with Brad Hawpe playing first backed up by Jorge Cantu provides an extremely deep infield that we all should be proud of as a fan base. The bench players like Oscar Salazar and Gregg Zaun will also provide some pop off the bench if needed.

The pitching staff is probably the greatest aspect of the whole team. The leaders in ERA all throughout 2010 and had the best run prevention in the major leagues as well. With the new addition of Aaron Harang and Dustin Moseley, that will even add to the depth of the starting rotation. Look at all the options they have for the top five spots. Mat Latos is the ace of course, followed by a much improved Clayton Richard, newly acquired veteran Aaron Harang, Tim Stauffer, and then your guess is just as good as anyone else's. Rookie Cory Luebke, Dustin Moseley, Wade LeBlanc, and the other minor leaguers in the Gonzalez trade will have a shot to get the number five spot in the rotation. It is all that depth that makes any manager pee his pants with excitement.

Look at all the additions, they're all over the age of 30. That tells you that the 2011 San Diego Padres will be contenders not pretenders. They are going for it now. The best teams in Baseball have a magnificent mix of veterans and young bucks to learn the game. Its that mix that leads to amazing chemistry both on and off the field. The Padres had that same chemistry in 2010, and this upcoming year, there is a feeling brewing amongst the community that they might be even better than before. They are going for it now, nothing will replace Adrian, but everyone has to be happy with the additions to the team, veteran leadership is very important and there can never be enough of it. Here's to the 2011 San Diego Padres, may a championship come sooner rather than later!

The Roster is in Place; All Ready for 2011

There are rumors that we need a back up infielder. I say hog wash, because here is a solution: Jerry Hairston Jr. All we have to do is resign him and then get it over with. He was the perfect platoon infielder for us and he surprised us by playing good in the outfield as well until he got injured and then our offense went downhill.

Now we have our roster set for 2011, a powerful starting pitching staff anchored by Mat Latos and has the veteran presence of Aaron Harang. A great defensive infield lead by veterans such as Jason Bartlett and Orlando Hudson. The outfield is speedy and powerful too with Ryan Ludwick providing the power and Cameron Maybin providing the quickness. We even have a good bench offense with Oscar Salazar and Eric Patterson. The San Diego Padres are all set for 2011.

What am I forgetting? Oh yes! The thriving bullpen. Yes, it has been a tad bit erased due to the offseason trades. But we still have our top three in Mike Adams, Luke Gregerson, and Heath Bell the closer. We also just acquired Dustin Moseley from the New York Yankees, who can pitch both in the bullpen and as a spot starter. Everything looks like it is falling into place. I am ready for 2011, I wish the season would start tomorrow. I think with our newly acquired offense, and our quickness, along with our defense and pitching depth, we can once again finish in the top of the National League West. What are your thoughts?

Almost All the Roster Moves Are Done, Who's the 1st Baseman?

Hey there Padres fans. We came so close last year to greatness and having our players get that ultimate payday and award, until falling short and going home empty handed. But we still managed to win over a lot of purists in the game and get the naysayers to put us in contention this year, so at the end of the day, we managed to get some positivity out of it.

This past November we received Cameron Maybin from the Florida Marlins and sent away two of our relievers in the process from our strong bullpen. Only one of those two relievers was consistently reliable but they're both gone nonetheless. Maybin will provide that much needed Carl Crawford-like speed we have been desperately needing at the top of our lineup. After that, we received Eric Patterson from the Boston Red Sox in the infamous Adrian Gonzalez trade earlier this month. He was the player to be named later and will provide exceptional depth in the outfield spot off the bench and give our regulars Will Venable and Chris Denorfia some rest throughout the season. There are also rumors that Patterson can play back up infield.

Trade talks stalled for a couple weeks with the Padres and Rays over Jason Bartlett, and if Cesar Ramos the relief pitcher is healthy after being put on the Disabled List. Well, it turned out he was healthy and he was only put on the Disabled List due to the Padres having to make room for other players on the roster so it ended up working out and Bartlett was officially acquired and is now officially the starting second baseman for the Padres. His double play partner will be none other than Orlando Hudson, the "O-Dog" acquired from the Minnesota Twins and will serve a multi-year campaign. So we have a fabulous outfield with speed and defense, an even better infield with great defense and instincts, and pretty good depth in the batter's box as well.

Not to mention our pitching is out of this world with the strongest bullpen in the National League arguably, and we didn't have to surrender any of our core arms in Adams, Gregorson or Bell. The newly acquired Aaron Harang, who is a notorious fly ball pitcher will get to re-master his craft in spacious Petco Park. With Mat Latos anchoring a tough starting rotation, the 2011 San Diego Padres are a force to be reckoned with. Everyone though 2010 was a surprise? Just wait until 2011 rolls around with fresh new faces and veterans up the yin yang. Who will be the opening day first baseman? There have been rumors of Russell Branyan, Brad Hawpe, even Adam Laroche and Derrek Lee. Even Nick Johnson was thrown in to the mix. If I had my say on this, I say they should get Russell Branyan or Troy Glaus. We need power at that position and can't just rely on Ryan Ludwick to provide pop. It'll be a win-win, let's have it happen front office. Here is to a good year!