San Diego Padres Tickets

After a disappointing 2008 season, the San Diego Padres have finally decided it's time to start the rebuilding process.

In fact, they went as far as to try and trade away ace Jake Peavy in the offseason. Peavy is still young, but he is owed a lot of money and the team won't be competing for a playoff spot anytime soon.

The Padres figured they would be better off trading him away for a bunch of prospects to boost the farm system and save all of that money as opposed to throwing him out there every five days on a terrible team.

As for the starting rotation, Peavy has very little help around him. Chris Young is a solid No. 2, but I don't even recognize the names of hardly any of the other pitchers on their roster. Not a good sign.

San Diego took a big step toward rebuilding by letting go of veteran closer Trevor Hoffman. The team will put strong setup man Heath Bell in the closer's role and see how he responds to the challenge.

There is some talent around the diamond, but the Padres have had major problems putting runs on the board the past few years.

First baseman Adrian Gonzalez is probably their best player. He is pretty much a lock to reach 30 home runs and 100 RBI's every year, although it's getting harder with the way other teams can just pitch around him.

Outfielder Chase Headley was the organization's top prospect and will see his first full season of major league action. The Padres are expecting big things out of him starting with this season.

The team hasn't completely gutted its roster of veteran players, choosing to bring in David Eckstein and Cliff Floyd to provide some leadership and show the younger guys how to play the game.

The Padres will likely be one of the worst teams in baseball for the next couple of seasons, so fans will just have to take solace in the fact that they can enjoy those beautiful San Diego days.