Here’s another idea I’ll probably drop real quick: Every month, I’m going to go over which players are giving the owner-less Padres the most bang for their buck. As the season hasn’t started yet, this is based on projections but as the season goes on, I’ll update it with real numbers.

1. Cameron Maybin

The centerfield stud with the new contract is still making less than a million dollars and is one of the best bargains in baseball.

2. Cory Luebke

The starting pitching stud with the new contract is still making less than a million dollars and is one of the best bargains in baseball.

3. Chase Headley

The third base stud who probably won’t get a new contract until he’s with another team is still one of the most underrated players in baseball.

4. Tim Stauffer

This ranking is a bit generous and Stauffer needs to show that he can put it all together and doesn’t need to lean on Petco to get results, but let’s hope he rewards our faith in him.

5. Yonder Alonso

The Reds just announced that they think Joey Votto is $225 million better than Alonso. Let’s hope that fires him up a bit.

6. Nick Hundley

Don’t be surprised if Hundley jumps up this list as the season progresses. Even now, you wouldn’t be out of line arguing that he needs to change spots with Stauffer.

7. Andrew Cashner

This ranking assumes Cashner stays in the pen but he wouldn’t be the first Padres pitcher to make the transition from reliever to starter. He’s the only one who throws triple digit heat with nerve-racking shoulder, though.

8. Clayton Richard

Who? Just kidding. Not really. Who? With Volquez starting Opening Day, it sounds like Richard needs to be looking over his shoulder at Kelly and Co.

9. Will Venable

This is the year! His swing’s looking good! He’s got it all working! Words that have never been said about Will Venable before!

10. Edinson Volquez

Like I said, Volquez is starting Opening Day. For a former pitcher, Bud Black sure doesn’t think that starting Opening Day is a very big honor.

11. Luke Gregerson

Remember him? He’s the Clayton Richard of relievers.

12. Orlando Hudson

Hopefully he’ll have said something ridiculous on Twitter by the time I run the May ranking.

13. Carlos Quentin

Starting the season the DL won’t help Quentin jump up the list very quickly.

14. Jason Bartlett

There’s really nothing to say here. He’s bad and we’ve got no one else.

15. Huston Street

The Padres’ highest paid player will play maybe 60 innings this year, if he’s not traded, and that’s how small market teams maximize their resources.

For those of you who don’t know, in their Win Value section, along with WAR, Fangraphs lists what they refer to as “Dollars.” In their words, it is:

WAR converted to a dollar scale based on what a player would make in free agency

This stat can seem a bit misleading when, for instance, it says Andres Torres was worth $23.9 million last season. Obviously, Torres didn’t make that much, nor would any of the thirty teams in the league give him that much in free agency, but based on his 2010 performance and the price the market put on WAR in free agency, he would be worth that much.

The San Diego Padres have little in common with the rest of the league when it comes to market value. Kevin Towers became known as a dumpster diver not because he loved swimming in trash but because, as the GM of the Padres, he had to. And over the course of his fifteen years in San Diego, Towers found some winners. Phil Nevin, who was acquired for Andy Sheets and went on to provide the team 19.3 wins in six and a half years, is just one of the finds that Jed Hoyer now has to take inspiration from.

Hoyer’s second offseason was an eventful one, as he tried to find a way to make up for Adrian Gonzalez and his departing production. In his effort, he turned to Brad Hawpe, Orlando Hudson, and Ryan Ludwick, amongst others. With the limited budget he’s already known and, hopefully, come to love, Hoyer had to spend his dollars wisely. Going through Hoyer’s major transactions this offseason, I’ve found that he values one win at roughly $2 million ($1.99M to be exact). To determine this, I looked at the contracts he handed out this year in free agency, as well as to Ludwick and Jason Bartlett to avoid arbitration. I included Ludwick, and not Chase Headley or Heath Bell, as his then unknown 2011 contract was part of the deal when he came over from St. Louis, and I included Bartlett because his acquisition seemed dependent on the team working out an extension. This leaves us with seven players: Hawpe, Hudson, Ludwick, Bartlett, Aaron Harang, Jorge Cantu, and Chad Qualls*. And with the price Hoyer has set in mind, I looked at just how much bang Hoyer expects for his bucks.

*Given their small(er) roles, I’m leaving Cantu and Qualls out of this discussion, even though I included their contracts.

Ludwick:

As the owner of largest contract that Hoyer gave out to a player he didn’t inherit, Ludwick is first in line. And at $6.775 million, we can assume that the team is expecting

3.4 wins

from him. As has been discussed before, Ludwick’s career is a hard one to get a feel for as his monstrous 2008 offsets his total averages. Over 162 games, Ludwick has been worth 3.2 wins per year, which is pretty close to that 3.4. However, if you remove his 08, his average drops to 2.4. Even if we split the difference, Ludwick still underperforms by almost a run. Not all hope is lost, however. Ludwick will be manning left field this season, an easier position that could boost his defensive numbers, he’s in a contract year, and he’s coming off the kind of demands atonement.

Orlando Hudson:

You’ll notice with both Hudson and Bartlett, due to the way it’s set up, I’m splitting the difference on their total contract rather than what they’ll simply be making in 2011. And, at $5.75 million, we can assume that the team is expecting

2.9 wins

from Hudson this season. It would seem Jed’s done his homework on this one because over 162 games, Hudson’s career average is 3.0. Even though Hudson’s glove and bat have trouble getting on the same page, he still seems like a safe bet for 2011.

Jason Bartlett:

At $5.5 million, we can assume that the team is expecting

2.8 wins

from Bartlett but, like Ludwick, Bartlett has one great season throwing everything off on the back of his baseball card. On his career, Bartlett has averaged 3.3 wins but without his Ludwick-esque 2009, that average drops to 2.8. Again, it looks like Hoyer did his homework, except that he’s playing it safe at shortstop, handing out a contract Bartlett has shown his has the ability to exceed.

Aaron Harang:

At $4 million, we can assume that the team is expecting

2 wins

from Harang, a modest expectation. Over 30 starts, Harang has averaged 3 wins per year but that’s a mark he hasn’t hit since 2007. In 2008, Dusty Baker took average as manager of the Reds and that’s all I’ll say about that. Since then, Harang has 5 wins in 78 starts, which actually comes out to 1.9 wins over 30 starts. Like Bartlett, Harang’s is a contract that the Padres went low on, hoping that freeing the pitcher from Baker will help him exceed expectations.

Brad Hawpe:

At $3 million, we can assume that the team is expect

1.5 wins

from Hawpe. That seems like a low total from first base (Cantu is expected to contribute another 0.4 wins) but a fair expectation of Hawpe. At some point, the season will begin and this sort of clarification won’t be necessary anymore, but it must be pointed out that Hawpe’s not a first baseman. He played in college, and a little bit last season, but Hawpe has primarily been an awful right fielder his entire career. His 1 win average means nothing when you consider that his defensive numbers, at a position he won’t play in San Diego, dragged everything down. Hawpe’s production could range anywhere from 0.5 wins to maybe 3. Financially, the team has made a smart move but as far as what happens on the field goes, that’ll have to wait for another article (probably in September).

Looking it over, Hudson seems to be the team’s safest pick. Bartlett and Harang are good bets to meet expectations but their up-and-down careers makes them harder to project. It shouldn’t take much for Hawpe to make his money back but, until we get any idea of how he is at first, we don’t know how easy that’ll be. And Ludwick, well, at least he’s saying all the right things.

I’m going to try something new here. Every Friday, I’ll wrangle up a veritable pu pu platter of links from around the Padres blogosphere, just in case you missed anything throughout the week. And if you think I’ve left any out (including your own), let me know and I’ll make sure to keep a closer eye out for next week.

Ditching the Kid Gloves (Ducksnorts)

After Corey Brock reported that the team will not keep Mat Latos on as tight a leash as they did in 2010, Geoff went to work convincing himself that the Verducci Effect is just a myth. Going back to 2001, Geoff went through and looked at all the pitchers who took on similar workloads as Latos at the same age to see how they held up.

#Balls and More (RJ’s Fro)

With more on Latos, SDPads1 (aka Orlando Hudson?) catches us up on Latosgate. For those of you who don’t know, and based on the tweeting trends most of you do, Latos signed a couple of baseballs for charity this week, putting his John Hancock underneath the message “I hate SF.” As you can imagine, this didn’t sit too well with some in the Giants blogosphere and the latest chapter in the rivalry was written. Head over for a better breakdown.

Why The Mat Latos Hullabaloo Is A Good Thing (Avenging Jack Murphy)

AIC weighed in on Latosgate was well, breaking down the reasons why Latos’ youthful rascality is a plus for Padres fans and reminding us that there are worse things out there than a player who cares. Namely, one who doesn’t.

Who’s Setting the Table for the Padres Lineup (Friarhood)

Moving on, Steve forgoes further Latos-related conversation to give us a look at our leadoff options this year, which is to say Jason Bartlett and Will Venable. Looking at their numbers, along with the production the team received out of the one-hole last season, Steve draws a conclusion.

Happy 6th Anniversary, Gaslamp Ball! (Gaslamp Ball)

Belated anniversary wishes go out to Gaslamp Ball. Their reign atop the Padres blogosphere started back on Valentine’s Day 2005. Way back then, Hitch was the number one movie in America and the Padres were on the verge of signing Robert Fick to a one-year deal. It was quite the time to be alive.

And all apologies go out to Friar Forecast. I was planning on including you on this week’s list, but I’m experiencing technical difficulties. But everyone, go there anyway. Here’s a link: www.friarforecast.com

In case you missed it, Jayson Stark of ESPN posted his assessment of the various offseasons had by the five NL West teams. For the Padres, he broke it down like so:

The good: Should be much better defensively up the middle, with Hudson, Bartlett and Maybin.

The bad: Substituting Harang (18-38 with a 1.44 WHIP the past three years) for Garland has a chance to get messy, though that magic Petco Pitcher Elixir won’t hurt Harang.

Now the ugly: Exit Gonzalez, stage right. Enter the new first-base platoon of Hawpe and Cantu, who combined for five homers, a .222 average, .295 OBP and 331 SLG after the break last year — and now have to play half their games in Petco.

Overall, Stark gave Jed and the boys a C and overall, I can’t really disagree.

As I myself broke down a couple of days ago, the Padres are going to need some lucky bounces if they’re going to perform an encore in 2011. Players like Ludwick and Bartlett are going to have to go above and beyond to help replace Adrian’s production. But Stark’s take seems apropros. His positives are positive and his negatives are negative, but they both come with reservations.

Over their careers, Harang and Garland have both been worth +23.2 WAR, though they’ve taken different routes to get there, with Garland taking the slow and steady (2029.1 IP) and Harang powering his way (7.47 K/9). For what will likely be the third or fourth starter’s spot, the change should be seamless (assuming Harang’s healthy again).

Having said that, I think Stark is underrating how good our defense was last year. Up the middle, the team had a combined +26.5 UZR. Despite their reputations, the team can’t expect Hudson (+2.2 UZR/150) and Bartlett (+4.5 UZR/150) to anchor a squad that matches that, especially with Maybin being the unknown quantity that he is.

I’ll tell you like I told my parents: a C ain’t so bad. Jed busted out his bag of tricks this offseason, making some shrewd signings but he took some risks as well, and risks don’t always work out. Ultimately, though, this offseason sits in the shadow of Adrian Gonzalez and, until the calendar turns to October and we find out just what they’re made of, the entire team will be right there with it.

As everyone knows, in 2010, the Padres won 90 games. On the field, I-scored-more-than-you wins. But according to the sabermetric number crunchers at Fangraphs, the Padres, as a team, were worth 39.9 wins. These 39.9 wins break down to 16.1 wins from the pitching staff and 23.8 from the offense. Go with me, for a second, when I say that the 2011 team, in order to approach the success the 2010 version had, will have to do their best to replace those wins. That leaves out a bit of nuance but like I said, go with me. And while the pitching staff has some new faces, the star attractions are all returning, making it easier to assume that they’ll do what they did. The offense, on the other hand, is another story.

Starting at the top, the Padres are going to have to find a way to replace Adrian Gonzalez’s production. Brad Hawpe and Jorge Cantu have been brought in to field his position but it’s unrealistic to expect them to replace what Adrian can do with the bat. To do that, everyone on the team is going to have to do their part. In 2010, Adrian was worth 5.3 wins. Let’s cut him a little slack (he was injured, after all) and say that, to replace Adrian, the team is going to have to create an extra 5.5 wins in 2011. This should be a challenge, as everyone will have to take on extra production, so I’ve created a handy guide to help everyone know what should be expected of them.

First base

2010 total: 5.3 wins

2011 expectation: 4.5 wins

As good a place to start as any. Like I said, this position has fallen to Cantu and Hawpe, who won’t match Adrian’s production. It just won’t happen. However, if the two can combine for 4.5 wins, that’ll be good enough. Working in their favor is the platoon they’re expected to see. Combined, taking Hawpe’s numbers versus right-handed pitching and Cantu’s numbers versus left-handed, the two have an .867 OPS. The man they’re replacing has a career .875 OPS, but his has the PETCO mark already on it, a mark that will surely bring down Hawpe and Cantu. Let’s hope it doesn’t bring them too far down.

Just as the two new first basemen won’t be replacing Adrian offensively, it’s doubtful they’ll be able to replace him defensively either. Hawpe, in particular, is an enigma, having logged only a handful of big league innings at first. He could be a disaster, or he could be a discovery. For the sake of assumption, I’ll say he splits the middle and is average. If he is, and these two can reach four and a half wins, the team should be sitting pretty.

Second base

2010 total: 2.7 wins

2011 expectation: 3 wins

Last season, second base was a two man job. David Eckstein and Jerry Hairston, Jr. took turns manning the position, with Eckstein doing most of the heavy lifting (2.0 wins). This year, the Padres have taken a more efficient route and given the job to one man: Orlando Hudson. In three of the last four years, Hudson has hovered around 3 wins, thanks in large part to his bat. Since trading in the astroturf of the Rogers Centre for the natural stuff, Hudson’s glove hasn’t been as sterling as the reputation that precedes it. But in 2010, he tried something different, as his bat fell to league average (98 wRC+) and his glove picking up the slack (+9.8 UZR). I don’t care what path Hudson takes in 2011, just as long as he makes it to the three win mark.

Shortstop

2010 total: 2.2 wins

2011 expectation: 2.5 wins

At the time, I wasn’t crazy about the Miguel Tejada trade but he proved to be a valuable addition to the team, accumulating 1.4 wins in his two months with the team. But now he’s off to San Fran, with Hairston, Jr. in Washington and Everth Cabrera in flux, so the team turned to Jason Bartlett to man the position in 2011. Just like his new double play partner Hudson, Bartlett has been a a model of consistency over his career. Take a look at this graph:

With the exception of that hiccup in 2009, Bartlett’s WAR has been declining steadily every year. It’s been a two-pronged attack, with Bartlett’s offense and defense both fading, and it’s a trend he’s going to have to reverse if he’s going to be a contributing member of the Padres in 2011. Ignoring 2009, Bartlett hasn’t been worth 2.5 wins since 2007, his last year with the Twins, when he was worth 2.8. He needs to figure out how to get back there (maybe he should rent The Bourne Ultimatum to get him back in a 2007 state of mind) if he’s going to meet expectations.

Third base

2010 total: 4.6 wins

2011 expectation: 3.5 wins

After two miserable seasons in left field, Chase Headley finally moved back to third base in 2010 and he was a revelation. Both UZR and DRS agreed that Headley was the best defensive third baseman in baseball. His glove, combined with his average bat, pushed Headley to 4.6 wins, second highest on the team. Expecting Headley to repeat his 16.5 UZR is unfair, both regression and precedence would like a word, but there’s more than enough room for his bat to chip in this year. I’d say that 3.5 wins is a fair expectation for Headley in 2011.

Left field

2010 total: 0.1 wins

2011 expectation: 3 wins

You’re reading that right. Sort of. With Ludwick moving to left for 2011, I’ve grouped his numbers in with the position for 2010. His defense will probably improve moving away from right, but whatever. You get the idea.

Anyway, you’re reading that right. Left field was a black hole for the 2010 Padres, with Scott Hairston and Ryan Ludwick as the main offenders. Ludwick was especially awful. It might be unfair to say but had Ludwick even been an average player after coming over from St. Louis, the Padres would’ve made the playoffs. Fortunately, Ludwick has all of 2011 to make amends.

Truth be told, expecting three wins out of Ludwick seems like a lot. Outside of his Bartlett 2009-esque 2008, Ludwick has steadily held near 2 wins a year. This season, however, Ludwick will be the highest paid non-closer on the team in a contract year. If there’s ever been a time to ball out of control, it’s now (and by that, I mean when the team desperately needs him to).

Centerfield

2010 total: 3.5 wins

2011 expectations: 2 wins

Oh AJ, I still can’t believe that you are gone. It was only a couple of months ago that you were covering centerfield in PETCO with the grace of a gazelle. To think that they replaced you out there with Chris Denorfia, then pushed you out the door. Los Angeles doesn’t know how lucky they are to have you.

In all seriousness, Denorfia and Tony Gwynn, Jr. were a fine pairing. Norf was a bungler out in the field but he could hit, while the opposite was true of AJ. They split the 3.5 evenly (1.8 for Norf, 1.7 for AJ) but now AJ’s a Dodger and Norf’s back to being a fourth outfielder. In their place is Cameron Maybin, the former prodigy who was acquired for relief pitching depth.

Two wins is a lot to ask of Maybin, as he’s never been worth more than one in a season, but he’s never had more than 322 plate appearances in a season either. This year, in San Diego, he’s going to be the man. He’s still got a ways to go offensively, and PETCO won’t help him, but AJ was an automatic out and he did alright. Center field’s a defensive position and if Maybin can accelerate that part of his game, he might be able to reach my expectations. And if not, I guess there’s always Inspector Clouseau.

Right field

2010 total: 2.5 wins

2011 expectation: 3 wins

Will Venable seems to be a player perpetually on the verge of breaking out. He’s got a great combination of speed and power, with a half-decent eye to boot. Unfortunately, he strikes out like crazy and that cuts the legs out from under his stats, if only partially. If he can start making better contact, and work on being a bit more consistent from week to week, Venable will have a great bat to pair with his already impressive glove.

But let’s start small. Let’s go for 3 wins in 2011.

Catcher

2010 total: 3.9 wins

2011 expectation: 2.5 wins

At 2.4 wins, Yorvit Torrealba ranked fourth on the Padres offense, behind only Adrian, Headley, and Venable. But an impressive season led to an impressive pay raise and he took his talents to North Texas, leaving young Nick Hundley to become a man. With Gregg Zaun grizzling behind him, it’ll be up to Hundley to carry the position in 2011.

As I’ve been over before, Hundley has an undeservedly bad reputation in Padres circles. No one will ever mistake him for Brian McCann, but Hundley is the kind of player who won’t do anything to hurt you. As his playing time’s increased, his WAR has along with it, topping out at 1.5 wins last season. Now that he’s set to take over, it’s not outrageous to think that his WAR will inch even closer to 2 this season. With Grizzly Adams backing him up, and pitching in a couple of wins in himself, I see no reason why this team’s catching squad shouldn’t be able to do it’s part in 2011.

So there you have it. I think that comes out to 24 wins, a nice even number (that doesn’t include backups or awful hitting pitchers). If everything goes according to the plan I just laid out, this Padres team should be back in the hunt in 2011. Adrian Gonzalez was a loss, no doubt, but Jed Hoyer did a good job of taking that mountain back down to a molehill.

Have you ever missed a call that you intended to return, but then something came up and the day ended before you could? And then the next day, you meant to call them again but, because you were already late, there was no urgency so you put it off? And then days turned into weeks and then finally, maybe a month later, you called your friend back?

Back in December, we here at The Sacrifice Bunt teamed up with The Friarhood (you know, the guys bombarding your inbox) to be the sabermetric arm of their site. Since then, we broke down the acquisitions of Orlando Hudson, Jason Bartlett, Brad Hawpe, Chad Qualls, and Gregg Zaun, breakdowns that you didn’t see posted here. I should’ve said something earlier. I know, and that’s my bad. The Deion thing is new to me and I’m not used to being a two-way player, but we’ll be better about bridging the gap from here on out. Until then, here are the links to the Sac Bunting you might’ve missed:

Hudson double flaps his way to San Diego

Padres inaugurate a new shortstop with Bartlett

Padres pick Hawpe to bring stability to the middle of the order

Hoyer garbage picks catching, relief help

Hopefully, with pitchers and catchers reporting soon, there’ll be more to talk about. When I started writing today, it was for an article I was going to call “Is Chris Denorfia better than Ryan Ludwick?” The answer, I found out as I wrote, is not really. That should give you an idea of how bereft of inspiration I am. But hang tight, we’ve got some things coming down the pipe. In the mean time, don’t forget to follow us on Twitter. I don’t have a job, or a life, so I’m on that thing all day.

If you’re like me, you’re spending your days playing fantasy Jed and thinking about what the Padres can do to improve the team going into 2011. With holes at second, short, and in centerfield, there’s a lot of dreaming to go around and I’m here to help. I’ve picked out some available players (however loosely that term might apply) at these positions and checked what Bill James thinks they’ll do next year.

It doesn’t look good for the incumbents. Eckstein had something of a career year this season, as his WAR of 2.0 was his highest since he 2005. Offensively, he’s a hole but he’s made himself into a decent defensive second baseman, a position that can handle his poor arm strength. Hairston has a similar offensive ineptitude but while Eckstein’s made himself decent defensively, Hairston’s made himself good. His career UZR/150 of 6.1 ranks number one in this group.

Offensively, Hudson is the winner here, though Lopez might be close enough to be a better bargain (Hudson made $5M last year; Lopez made $1M). Hudson separates himself defensively, though. While James didn’t do defensive predictions, Hudson has a career UZR/150 of 2.2 and is generally well regarded. Lopez, on the other hand, has a career -1.0. The Padres did show an interest in Lopez after St. Louis cut him loose so if you’re Christopher Nolan and like a lot of realism in your dreams, he might be a guy to keep an eye on.

Here’s where I admit that I crammed Juan Uribe into this group because the number of 2B options out there is weaker than at SS. Whereas Eckstein’s arm can hide at second base, Uribe’s would go to waste playing so close to the first baseman. And, truth be told, he’s a good shortstop, so if we were to acquire Uribe, we’d have to get someone else pretty good to bump him to second. Someone like…

Listing Everth is really nothing more than lip service. I’d be very surprised if he doesn’t start (and end) the year in the minors. I want to believe in him, but he has made it hard.

Tejada is the other incumbent, though I suppose Hairston deserves a shout out (career 2.1 UZR/150 in a little over 1,000 innings). With Tejada, it’s easy to be caught up in the player we saw in August and September (111 wRC+, -0.3 UZR) but it’s doubtful we saw the real Miguel Tejada. James, for instance, sees his offensive production regressing and defensively, he’s always been a below average guy (-3.4 UZR/150). For $6 million or so, is it worth it?

Like Tejada, Orlando Cabrera is another guy who seems to get a long way on his name and reputation. He’s never been a real offensive player, getting by mostly with his glove which, while still above-average, seems to be slowing down. Cincinnati recently declined his $4 million option, so he’ll likely be cheaper than Tejada while providing similar-yet-different production.

Neither Bartlett nor Hardy are free agents, but they’re both non-tender candidates who might be available in a trade. Bartlett, who we once traded for Brian Buchanan never forget, built his reputation as a glove man but his production has been slipping over the past couple of years. Whether these were flukes or age catching up to him quick is yet to be seen and while James thinks he’ll be average with the bat, is he worth the $5 million (or so) risk?

Looking at the projections, it’s easy to think Hardy is worth the risk and it gets even better when you look at his defensive numbers. Over the course of his career, Hardy has a +11 UZR/150, which is pretty great. He might be expensive, but he’ll earn his paycheck. That is, if he can stay on the field. Hardy only made it into 101 games this season, but he was still worth 2.4 wins. With a good enough backup, Hardy might be the kind of risk a team with one year left of a megastar should take. Especially if his offensive production opens up a spot for a certain poor hitting, phenomenal fielding center fielder.

Oh, AJ. If I really was Jed, this conversation would be over. Tony the younger would be installed in centerfield, free to make all the amazing catches he’d like. But I’m not and he surely won’t, so let’s look at the other four.

Ellsbury’s is a popular name when the conversation turns toward trading Adrian and he is an elite base stealing threat, but I’m not sure he’s a center fielder. He has a UZR/150 of 0.2 in a little over two thousand innings, but the Red Sox brought in Mike Cameron to push Ellsbury to left last year and as much as I love Mikey C., that’s a little telling, isn’t it? Especially because Ellsbury’s not as young as he seems. He’ll be arbitration eligible next winter and with his 136 career stolen bases, I’d bet the arbitrator will like him and that’s no good for us small market folk.

A younger option would be Colby Rasmus, whose very public spat with Tony LaRussa may or may not have put him on the block. If he’s available, I’m not sure the Padres have enough to go get him. Surely the conversation would start with Simon Castro, but where would it end? A player with Rasmus’ potential seems worth whatever price St. Louis asks, but the question becomes whether or not we’ll be able to hang once some deeper-pocketed teams get involved.

Upton’s a more realistic change-of-scenery guy, though also arbitration eligible next year. While he’s never fully lived up to his potential, he’s become an excellent center fielder (career UZR/150 5.7) and he’s still only 26. Think of him as a better case Venable, with the potential to be a 30-40 guy. He could also remain a 10-40 guy but then if it was easy, everyone would do it.

Then there’s Davis, the bubble burster. Not as dreamy as the rest, he’s a decent fielder (2.6 UZR/150) who’s stolen 91 bases over the past two years. He’s the wild card, and a good one at that because put him on a field in Peoria with Dave Roberts and who knows what will come out of it.

And that’s it. I hope you found this helpful. I sort of feel like a jerk for taking you past the bike aisle when you’re likely to get some cans of soup for Christmas, but such is dreaming. Enjoy it while it lasts, before the season begins and we’re stuck with reality.

Baseball America’s top 10 Padres and NL West prospects of the 2000s were published today.

They went with Jason Bartlett as the top pick of the decade. Seemed strange to me until I tried to figure out who would replace him. Don’t forget though, order to qualify for the best pick of the 2000s, the player would need to have been drafted in the first few years of the decade. Apparently BA is judging the pick by who had sustained major league success. None of the guys taken later in the decade have had time to develop, so while James Darnell or Mat Latos may be better choices in the long run, they don’t exactly qualify right now.

Oh well, we’ll always have the right field Brian Buchanan memorial wall, whom the Padres received in exchange for Bartlett. I like to think of it as the wall, not the player.

Check out BA’s organizational talent graph too. If anyone still wonders why Towers, Fuson, and company were replaced, look no further.

I’ve had a hunch that the Padres farm was underrated last year, even after adjusting for my homerism. Good news for me, I’m not the only one. I’m looking forward to this year’s rankings, as they’ll reinforce or amend last year’s poor assessment of the system.