The horses who carried the workload on the bump for the Padres last season comprised of (games started in parenthesis): Mat Latos (31), Tim Stauffer (31), Aaron Harang (28), Dustin Moseley (20), and Clayton Richard (18).
Cory Luebke (17) and Wade LeBlanc (17) also made substantial contributions; however, LeBlanc is headed for bluer waters as he was traded to Miami for catcher John Buck. A renewed Harang was offered arbitration, so it will be interesting to see what develops there.
Latos and Stauffer look to be the anchors, while Luebke (6-10, 3.29) has clearly earned a spot in the rotation with a 9.92 K/9, second only to Richard. Look for him to have a breakout season. Richard is recovering well and is expected to bounce back from shoulder surgery.
The remaining spot (or spots) are open for debate. Anthony Bass excelled in relief during the regular season, but the plan seems to be to transition him back to starter, as he made 5 starts (21.2 IP) in this year's Arizona Fall League. He surrendered 25 hits while striking out 23 and walking 5.
Last season's Tuscon squad doesn't seem likely to produce any candidates for the remaining spots on the big league club. Most of the hurlers from that team are no longer in the organization.
That being said, there are several members of San Antonio's record-setting championship squad who are poised to see time with the big league club in 2012. Casey Kelly (11-6, 3.98, 105K), Robbie Erlin (6-2, 3.50, 92K), and Joe Wieland (7-1, 1.80, 54K) are all future fixtures in the rotation who have some solid upside.
Finally, there's free agency. Some persons of interest in my mind are Edwin Jackson and (a healthy) Scott Kazmir. Both could benefit from pitching in Petco. The best options, though, are probably going to require big money, the kind of money the Padres aren't likely to shell out this season. Outside of those arms, the pickings are slim.
If Latos and Richard can return to form, combined with a strong full season from Luebke, then this rotation could be a force to reckon with. However, as always, it's not the pitching that tends to be the concern in San Diego. It's more about whether the pitching staff can get the run support they need.
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