2b, the lack of starting pitching, and Hoffman all lost us far more games. Focusing on 163 more than 8 other games that might have been won makes no sense to me.

They have several pieces to move. Maddux and Wolf are both valuable commodities in a pennant race, as are Giles and Bell. Giles and Maddux may not be easy to move because they have contractual issues, but if the Padres are 10 out in July, Maddux is unlikely to want to stick around.

I completely agree with the poor CF planning. They are lacking a true CF in the minors (Danny Payne is the best bet now, and he’s played 8 games in Low A) but they have several options for the corners. My hope is that the 2009 Padres have Huffman in LF, a player who is not yet a Padre in CF (Pie), and the last year of OG in RF. After that Cedric Hunter may be ready to take over in RF. Huffman and Hunter are good athletes who offer plus defense in their respective corners, and they’re already in the system. Even if we didn’t have either of them, we have had good OF defense in 2006 and 2007 without any homegrown players. There’s more than one way to acquire talent.

I guess the real problem I have with the Padres this year is that to let Bradley and Cameron walk without any real plan to replace them was irresponsible. Hairston has a 270 OBP and has struck out in a quarter of his at-bats. Edmonds got released for doing that. I don’t see any help ready right now, besides Headley, and the Padres farm system seems bleak on the OF front. When you’re promoting Jody Gerut, a 30 year-old journeyman who hasn’t played in 2 years, it’s probably a pretty good sign you don’t have much down on the farm.

Kennedy’s a polished college arm with average stuff who could very easily be exposed in the majors. Hughes has that all-star upside, but Kennedy could be just a guy. He flew through the minors in a little more than a season, to his credit, but I could more easily see him becoming a league-average 4th starter than Mike Mussina.

There are far more CF than that available if you dip into the minors, and the acquisition doesn’t need to be made during the season. If you’re that interested in defense, we could get Jeremy Reed from Seattle. There are too many CF in the high minors and the majors for me to believe we’re locked in a box. If Hunter keeps hitting, you’ll see the scouting reports on his defense in CF get better, too.

I trust minor league zone ratings very little. Gerut has looked fast the last couple of games, and as I stated, he’s an above-average defensive LF, where the requirements aren’t as stringent. Since he played mostly RF in Portland, with Headley in LF, I don’t know you’d get to “may have been an average/above-average LF earlier in his career, but…he’s pretty darn bad out there, if his minor-league zone ratings mean anything.”

What I remember about 2007 is we lost a lot more games because we didn’t have starting pitching depth or a second baseman who could hit than we did because of outfield defense. I would love to have 3 above-average defenders in the OF who could all contribute offensively; that’s one reason I’ve been against Headley playing LF for the last 6 months. But there’s no way to support the leap from “We need to improve in the OF” to “We should trade Agon because we can’t improve the OF defense enough to compete.” You’ve said it yourself, we had a very good OF 12 months ago. There’s no insurmountable obstacle to having a very good OF 12 months from now.

As far as CF, the only ones on the market are Crisp, who is too expensive (the Sox want Headley in return) or too risky (Willits, Matthews, Jr., etc.) Pie is probably the best, cheapest option.

Have you watched Gerut run this year? He may have been an average/above-average LF earlier in his career, but at age 30 and after 2 knee surgeries, he’s pretty darn bad out there, if his minor-league zone ratings mean anything. Petco’s massive outfield demands a very good outfield defensive crew, and having 3 below-average defenders out there right now is killing this team.

Remember 2007? The Padres lost game number 163, in large part, because Brady Clark was patrolling center field. Defense counts.

Gerut is not a below-average defensive LF. If he hits, he may be a solution there. His BR comps include Jayson Werth and Ryan Church. I’d take either of those guys in LF.

We do need a serious upgrade in CF, but that’s one position, and other teams have CF that can be traded. How does that turn into “the Padres aren’t going to be good for a while?”

Chad Huffman is a legitimate corner OF prospect. Hunter may be. Antonelli could even be pushed to CF with Sogard hitting like he knows what the pitcher is thinking. With several attractive veterans to be traded, the last thing the Padres should consider is trading young affordable talent.

I love the Igawa idea, btw. But why use Agon to get him when the Yankees may need 1 or more of Maddux, Wolf, or even Iguchi (if Cano stays cold)?

The Pads also had outstanding outfield defense last season, especially once Bradley arrived, and Hairston, Gerut, Edmonds, Huber, et. al are all well below average. A team with Wolf and Young has to have a good outfield defense.

And I say we are doomed to years of mediocrity only b/c there doesn’t seem to be any legit OF prospects in the minors. Picking up a couple during this lost season might help avoid many years of mediocrity.

#19@Turbine Dude: Watching a lefty throw used to send shivers up my spine.

#21@David Coonce: We won 88 games last year with a lot of the same players, and it was a legit 88 wins, no pythagorean shenanigans. How are we doomed to years of mediocrity? Gonzalez is a ways from free agency and seems like the kind of player who might sign a friendly deal, the way Peavy did. The Yankees would probably trade Igawa for a relief pitcher, or Maddux/Wolf, who walk at the end of the year.

They do need to put some serious thought into where Kouzmanoff fits on this team. There’s no rush, they can let him have the rest of the year, but there’s some chance he’s a platoon player with minimal defensive value, and that’s not the type of player that pushes Headley to LF.