The San Diego Padres really need to find a replacement for Heath Bell and they also need to fill out the bench with better players than they had last year. Here is a look at the trio I would sign if I were running the San Diego Padres:

1. Brad Lidge - Brad Lidge still has dominating stuff and Bud Black would coach him up into the pitcher he used to be when he was dominating the N.L.

2. Adam Kennedy - Adam Kennedy can play anywhere on the infield and the Padres were pretty brittle there in 2011.

3. Reed Johnson - Reed Johnson is a hustle player for the bench that can play any spot in the outfield. He also has a very solid bat off the bench.

The Padres have acquired 30-year old lefty swinging catcher John Baker from the Marlins for 27-year old lefty starting pitcher Wade LeBlanc. Baker played in 16 games for the Marlins last year and he was 2 for 13 (.154 avg, .421 OPS) with 1 RBI. He has now played in 212 games in his first four years in the majors and he is 179 for 661 (.271 avg, .757 OPS) with 98 runs scored, 14 homers and 89 RBIs. Baker will back up Nick Hundley behind the plate and the Padres won’t be shy about giving him a day off once in a while this year. LeBlanc pitched in 14 games (all starts) for the Padres last year and he was 5-6 with a 4.63 ERA and a 1.41 WHIP. He pitched in 54 games (52 starts) in his four years with the Padres and he was 17-22 with a 4.54 ERA and a 1.43 WHIP. This was the type of deal that will likely help both teams in 2012 and beyond.

The Padres have released 28-year old righty swinging infielder Alberto Gonzalez. Gonzalez played in 102 games for the Padres last year and he was 53 for 247 (.215 avg, .539 OPS) with 18 runs scored, 1 homer, 32 RBIs and 1 stolen base. He has now played in 378 games in his first five years in the majors and he is 203 for 839 (.242 avg, .598 OPS) with 84 runs scored, 3 homers, 81 RBIs and 2 stolen bases. This won’t hurt the Padres as Gonzalez didn’t play well for them last year.

The Padres have signed 35-year old lefty swinging 1B/OF Mark Kotsay to a 1-year, $1.25 million dollar deal. Kotsay played in 104 games for the Brewers last year and he was 63 for 233 (.270 avg, .703 OPS) with 18 runs scored, 3 homers, 31 RBIs and 3 stolen bases. He has now played in 1,728 games in his first 15 years in the majors and he is 1,717 for 6,166 (.278 avg, .745 OPS) with 773 runs scored, 124 homers, 694 RBIs and 98 stolen bases. This was a good signing for the Padres as Kotsay is the perfect National League bench player as he’s versatile in the field and he is a solid pinch hitter.