The Padres have pitching depth despite dealing many pitchers last off-season for both Cameron Maybin (sending Edward Mujica and Ryan Webb to the Marlins) and Jason Bartlett (which resulted in Adam Russell, Cesar Ramos and Brandon Gomes being dealt to Tampa Bay). Even if the Padres deal one of the much-discussed potential movers—Mike Adams, Heath Bell or Chad Qualls, they would still be fairly deep in relief pitching. The Padres would still (baring trade or demotion) have Luke Gregerson, Pat Neshek, Ernesto Frieri, Joe Thatcher, Josh Spence, Evan Scribner and Brad Brach who should be joining the team shortly upon promotion.

The Padres' starting rotation looks very promising for next year; even with possible departures that could include starting pitchers, Aaron Harang and possibly Dustin Moseley from the starting rotation in the hope of returning prospects. The Padres still have Mat Latos, Tim Stauffer, Clayton Richard, Cory Luebke and Anthony Bass. Looking forward, there are also a number of pitchers who have contributed, such as Wade LeBlanc, and top prospects Casey Kelly and Simon Castro waiting in the wings. Castro struggled early, having said that, the worse case scenario for Castro would be if they had to convert him into a set up man or a closer. With his big frame and repertoire, I still believe he can be a middle-of-the-rotation starter with top-of-the-rotation ceiling. Casey Kelly (the centerpiece of the Adrian Gonzalez trade) has not exactly been dominant in AA, but has still demonstrated mid- to top-of-the-rotation potential. Remember, he's still young and relatively new to pitching full-time. Keep an eye on Brad Bach; he could be in the mix along with Adams and Gregerson as the future closer depending on whom the Padres deal.

The starting five I’m looking at going forward:

1. Mat Latos- Mat has shown that he has ace stuff and can dominate any team on any given day. If he can put it all together, he's a legit ace on any team. Future All-Star.

2. Tim Stuaffer- He’s finally healthy after injuries and has gotten his arm strength back; Tim has emerged as a legitimate top-of-the-rotation starter.

3. Cory Luebke- Like Stauffer, Cory has spent significant time in the bullpen. His seasoning has really helped his development and I would be surprised if he doesn't emerge as one of the better pitchers in the NL over the next few years. He's a stud now and will remain in the starting rotation.

4. Clayton Richard- Richard is more than a serviceable middle of the rotation starter if he can improve his home and away differentials. A lefty throwing mid 90's is very valuable. His consistency moving forward will be key.

5. Anthony Bass- His smaller frame (for a pitcher), along with his mechanics will remind you somewhat of Tim Lincecum. He hides the ball well and is deceptive, and can touch 96-97mph on occasion. He will sit in the low- to mid-90s and looks to settle in nicely in the back of the rotation with quality #2/3 starter ceiling. He's ready now and will only get better with seasoning on the MLB level.

There are a handful of farm system pitchers who may be further away, but are worth watching and could make an impact soon. Most notable, and my personal favorite, is Keyvius Sampson, with the second on my to-watch list being Matt Lollis. After the most obvious, aforementioned arms, that brings me to Nick Vincent, Miles Mikola, Juan Oramas and Pedro Hernandez, all of whom have very promising potential.

The Padres are still very deep, and it's still very easy to entice pitchers who are coming off “down” years because of the extreme pitching confines of Petco Park. This year’s perfect examples include Aaron Harang and Chad Qualls. So don't be surprised if they deal from their strength (pitching) in hopes of capitalizing and bringing in elite prospects to bolster the system for the future; and possibly signing a cheap free agent pitcher in the off-season to assure their bullpen remains one of the best in baseball.