To say the least, the Padres will have an interesting off-season in 2011. While it is impossible to project next year’s roster today (knowing it’s possible that there could be many moves), we can look at potential candidates looking ahead.

The catching position is very interesting. Nick Hundley had been given the starting job (which I was in favor of in the very beginning) after Yorvit Torrealba left for free agency; suffice to say, that catching duo was excellent in 2010. The Padres made a trade to acquire Rob Johnson from the Seattle Mariners in the 2010 off-season, which seemed to play into the club’s cost-cutting measures. During the season, Johnson had a plethora of injuries; despite this, however, he had a very good reputation of dealing with pitchers as evidenced by a fantastic CERA (Catchers ERA). While I do believe the Padres pitchers benefitted throughout the course of the year from having Johnson, Hundley's injury problems were affecting his performance, forcing the Padres to rely on back up catchers more often than not.

One of the Padres’ priorities will be to pair Nick Hundley with a more viable catcher: a catcher who can play everyday if Hundley does go down. I wouldn't be surprised if the Padres went after a young promising catching prospect, or another free agent veteran that has much more to offer than merely calling a game. I give Johnson more credit than some for handling the pitchers, but it’s obvious the Padres need to bolster their catching depth. When Hundley is healthy and on the field, he seems to flourish. I also liked what I saw from rookie Luis Martinez when he was brought up; maybe he can continue his seasoning on the MLB level as a back up. For the 2012 season, I just believe the Padres want more of an immediate upgrade.

Speaking of prospects that could be intriguing at such a demanding, premium position, how about the Yankees Jesus Montero? Simply put, he's one of the best prospects in all of baseball and the Padres are in need of offensive production. Recently on MLBTraderumors.com, John Harper of the New York Daily News was told by scouts that "such pitchers as James Shields, Gio Gonzalez, Trevor Cahill, Mat Latos or Matt Cain could potentially be obtained in a deal featuring Jesus Montero." Mat Latos is a fan favorite, a player who is emerging as one of the better pitchers in the NL, and a legit front line starter – a potential trade could work well for both team needs.

Since Petco neutralizes pitching and puts a premium on hitting, I believe the emphasis should be put on offensive production. While I love Mat and do not want to give up the Padres only legitimate ace, I would seriously consider doing so for a top of the line offensive-minded player who could possibly bode well in spacious Petco Park. This sentiment is strengthened if the Padres feel that the recently acquired top pitching prospects, such as Joe Weiland and Robert Erlin (brought over in the Mike Adams trade with Texas), are close to reaching The Show. With such a deep pool of pitching prospects, one or more can be moved to acquire a high-upside bat.

There are many Free Agent catchers, who may not land starting jobs, who would pose a significant upgrade over the Padres’ internal options for the back up catcher’s position (age in parenthesis):