The Houston Astros have claimed 25-year old righty reliever Wilton Lopez off waivers from the Houston Astros. Lopez pitched in 58 games (0 starts) last season in A+AA+AAA ball and he was 2-3 with 12 saves, a 3.99 ERA and a 1.30 WHIP. Lopez wasn’t one of the more highly rated prospects in the Padres’ minor league system so losing him shouldn’t hurt the organization too much.

38-year old lefty swinging Brian Giles will be the starting RF again for the Padres in 2009. Giles played in 147 games for the Padres last season and he was 171 for 559 (.306 avg, .854 OPS) with 81 runs scored, 12 homers and 63 RBIs. Giles’ power is diminishing big time but he’s still a quality hitter. He showed slightly below average range in RF last season while making 7 errors in 144 games there.

34-year old veteran Emil Brown will start the season in AAA-ball but he will get called up quickly if anything happens to Giles. Brown played in 117 games for the A’s last season and he was 98 for 402 (.244 avg, .683 OPS) with 48 runs scored, 13 homers, 59 RBIs and 4 stolen bases. Brown made 3 errors in 55 games in RF last season for the A’s while showing good range.

PROJECTED GRADE FOR THE 2009 SEASON: B-

31-year old lefty swinging Jody Gerut, 28-year old righty swinging Scott Hairston and 26-year old lefty swinging Will Venable all appear to be capable CFs. Gerut will likely get the most playing time of this crew. He played in 100 games for the Padres last season and he was 97 for 328 (.296 avg, .845 OPS) with 46 runs scored, 14 homers, 43 RBIs and 6 stolen bases. Gerut also surprised in the field making only 2 errors in 80 games in CF for the Padres while showing pretty good range. Gerut just needs to stay healthy to be productive as his knees have been big problems for him in the past.

Scott Hairston had a breakout season in 2008 for the Padres. He played in 112 games for the Padres last season and he was 81 for 326 (.248 avg, .791 OPS) with 42 runs scored, 17 homers, 31 RBIs and 3 stolen bases. Hairston made 2 errors in 51 games in LF last season while showing good range.

Will Venable finally made it to the show last season and he was impressive. Venable played in 28 games for the Padres last season and he was 29 for 110 (.264 avg, .730 OPS) with 16 runs scored, 2 homers and 10 RBIs. He also played in 120 games in AAA-ball last year and he was 129 for 442 (.292 avg, .825 OPS) with 70 runs scored, 14 homers, 58 RBIs and 7 stolen bases. He didn’t make any errors in 2008 in CF playing in 27 games there while showing outstanding range.

26-year old lefty swinging Drew Macias is likely too far down the depth chart to get much action in 2009. He played in 17 games for the Padres last year and he was 4 for 20 (.200 avg, .750 OPS) with 2 runs scored, 2 homers and 5 RBIs. Macias also played in 136 games in AAA-ball in which he was 145 for 504 (.288 avg, .816 OPS) with 92 runs scored, 11 homers, 66 RBIs and 18 stolen bases.

PROJECTED GRADE FOR THE 2009 SEASON: C

Look for 24-year old switch hitting Chase Headley to be the Padres’ second best hitter in 2009 behind Adrian Gonzalez. Headley played in 91 games for the Padres last season and he was 89 for 331 (.269 avg, .757 OPS) with 34 runs scored, 9 homers, 38 RBIs and 4 stolen bases. He also played in 65 games in AAA-ball last season and he was 79 for 259 (.305 avg, .939 OPS) with 49 runs scored, 13 homers and 40 RBIs. Headley is still learning how to play OF as he’s a converted 3B. He played in 82 games in LF for the Padres last season and he made 5 errors while showing pretty good range.

28-year old Scott Hairston will be likely the #4 outfielder for the Padres in 2009. He played in 49 games in LF last season for the Padres without making an error while showing good range. If Headley slips in his sophomore year Hairston would likely take over as the starting LF for the Padres.

36-year old lefty swinging Cliff Floyd might pick up the mitt from time to time but don’t bank on it as he was the Rays’ DH for about half of last year. Floyd played in 80 games for the Rays last season and he was 66 for 246 (.268 avg, .804 OPS) with 32 runs scored, 11 homers and 39 RBIs. Floyd will probably get a lot of at bats as a pinch hitter in 2009 for the Padres.

27-year old lefty swinging Chris Snelling is a talented player but he can never seem to stay healthy. Snelling played in 4 games for the Phillies last season and he was 2 for 4 (.500 avg, 2.000 OPS) with 1 run scored, 1 homer and 1 RBI. Snelling also played in 39 games in A+AAA ball last season in which he was 24 for 110 (.218 avg) with 18 runs scored, 1 homer and 9 RBIs. If healthy he could surprise the Padres in 2009.

PROJECTED GRADE FOR THE 2009 SEASON: B-

The Padres have traded 24-year old righty pitcher Manny Ayala to the Phillies for a player to be named later or cash. Ayala pitched in 21 games (17 starts) in AA+AAA ball last season and he was 7-4 with a 4.96 ERA and a 1.38 WHIP. The Padres didn’t think Ayala has much of a upside so they likely won’t miss him.