The Padres played better in the second half of the season and with new ownership in place look for them to raid the bargain bin in free agency. The only major addition to the Padres will be likely in the form of signing a starting caliber catcher. Rod Barajas, Jason Kendall, Bengie Molina, Ramon Hernandez (if the Reds let him go), Miguel Olivo, Ivan Rodriguez, Brian Schneider, Yorvit Torrealba and Jason Varitek (if the Red Sox make him available) would be the guys the Padres would consider adding. The Padres also need a back up infielder who can handle 2B and SS. Miguel Cairo, Jamey Carroll, Alex Cora, Craig Counsell, Jerry Hairston, Bobby Crosby, Adam Everett and John McDonald are names that should interest the Padres. The Padres also need a back up outfielder who can bring some pop off the bench. Reed Johnson, Gabe Kapler, Fernando Tatis, Randy Winn, Rick Ankiel, Rocco Baldelli, Andruw Jones and Austin Kearns all make sense to varying degrees. The Padres could also really use a lefty reliever and would likely look at Joe Beimel, Scott Eyre, John Grabow, Ron Mahay, Will Ohman, Darren Oliver, Brian Shouse and Jamie Walker. A new starting catcher and help in the bullpen and on the bench could make the Padres a much better team next season.

29-year old righty swinging 2B/SS Luis Rodriguez and 30-year old righty swinging catcher Eliezer Alfonzo have rejected outright assignments to AAA becoming free agents. Rodriguez played in 93 games for the Padres last season and he was 42 for 208 (.202 avg, .579 OPS) with 18 runs scored, 2 homers and 16 RBIs. Rodriguez blew his big chance this season with the Padres when he went into the the year as the starting shortstop. He played two years with the Padres in which he played in 157 games in which he was 100 for 410 (.244 avg, .627 OPS) with 40 runs scored, 2 homers and 28 RBIs. 30-year old righty swinging catcher Eliezer Alfonzo also blew a big chance the Padres last season. He played in 37 games for the Padres last season and he was 20 for 114 (.175 avg, .451 OPS) with 6 runs scored, 2 homers and 8 RBIs. Alfonzo sure came to San Diego hacking as he only walked 3 times while whiffing 34. The Padres won’t lose any sleep with these two guys leaving town.

The Padres have released 28-year old righty starting pitcher Shawn Hill. He started 3 games for the Padres and he was 1-1 with a 5.25 ERA and a 1.50 WHIP. He only started three games because his season was cut short because he needed Tommy John Surgery. He has started 40 games in his major league career and he is 8-16 with a 4.95 ERA and a 1.46 WHIP. Some team will likely give Hill another chance because he is a talented pitcher but he has never been able to stay healthy.

The Padres have released 36-year old lefty swinging outfielder Cliff Floyd. He only played in 10 games for the Padres due to injuries this season and he was 2 for 16 (.125 avg, .301 OPS). He has now played in 1,621 games in his major league career and he is 1,479 for 5,319 (.278 avg, .840 OPS) with 824 runs scored, 233 homers, 865 RBIs and 148 stolen bases. This might be the end of a productive major league career for Cliff Floyd.

The Padres have released 29-year old righty starting pitcher Cha Seung Baek. Baek did not pitch with the Padres this season as he was rehabbing a strained forearm in the minors. He started 7 games in A+AA+AAA ball this season and he was 0-4 with a 9.28 ERA and a 1.69 WHIP. The Padres thought they had something in Baek when he joined them in 2008. That year he pitched in 22 games (20 starts) for the Padres in which he was 6-9 with a 4.62 ERA and a 1.33 WHIP. He has now pitched in 59 games (44 starts) in his major league career and he is 16-18 with a 4.83 ERA and a 1.34 WHIP. It was a bad break for Baek to get hurt as pitching half of your games at Petco Field tends to make you look better than you really are.