Proving Mound

Still got 'em on lockdown?


There was a time when San Diego's bullpen was the feather in the team's cap. Kevin Towers had an uncanny ability to piece together arms that could lock down the late innings. His talent hasn't changed (see: Arizona)...unfortunately, though, he's no longer working his skill set in America's Finest City.


That being said, the Padres were still able to benefit from his work for the past two seasons. Now, however, it's a whole new story. For the first time in a long time, San Diego will start the season without Adams and Bell and with a lot of question marks in the pen.


While it seems the Padres will benefit, in the long term, from losing both top-shelf relievers, this season is going to be more like a proving ground than ever before. The winter signings and spring training will provide more answers, but for now, the likely spots taken in the bully so far belong to:


Luke Gregerson: 55.2 IP, 1.37 WHIP (had struggles frequently last season)

Anthony Bass: 33.1 IP, 1.29 WHIP (excellent potential, might be starting)

Ernesto Frieri: 63.0 IP, 1.35 WHIP (command escaped him often last season)

Josh Spence: 29.2 IP, 1.11 WHIP (would love to see him establish himself this season)

From that point on, there's lots of questions. The latest rumor has San Diego interested in Oakland's Andrew Bailey to replace Bell. Sounds like a good option to me, but if a trade were to take place, I imagine it would run deep into our farm system to acquire Bailey.

Some internal candidates could include:

Evan Scribner: career MiLB WHIP: 1.058; K/9: 10.9 (would like to see what he can do)

Erik Hamren: career MiLB WHIP: 1.370; K/9: 7.7 (had nice stint with the big league club)

Brad Brach: career MiLB WHIP: 0.922; K/9: 11.4 (would love to see him become our closer)  

This is an area of the club whose success is critical for the Padres to compete. They have to know that their late-inning, one or two run leads will survive through the ninth. 


While there's promise, Padres fans have to be uneasy at this point in the offseason, knowing that both Adams and Bell are gone with their replacements seemingly non-existent or unproven. Stay tuned!