The Padres are currently at the General Managers Meetings. Often much of the ground work for future moves begin before the Winter Meetings that start in December. Jed Hoyer and the front office brass could have a very busy off season with the questionable future's of Adrian Gonzalez and Heath Bell, along with many holes including middle infield help. With the uncertainty of last years everyday Padre players such as, Free Agent Jerry Hairston Jr, David Eckstein and Miguel Tejada. That brings us to another question mark in Everth Cabrera. His heath issues along his atrocious campaign in 2010. The Padres have virtually no middle infield depth close and are looking to bolster their middle infield through trade or Free Agency.

The Padres have spoken to the Brewers "repeatedly" about their second-base prospect Brett Lawrie, who could be obtained for young pitching. While MLBtraderumors.com's writer Ben Nicholson-Smith says," The Brewers don't want to trade top players for back-of-the-rotation starters, but teams are reluctant to include top young pitchers in potential deals." There has been speculation starting pitching of the likes of one of Shaun Marcum or Brett Cecil of the Toronto Blue Jays might be potential candidates to acquire Lawrie.

One option for the Padres could be to trade for a pitcher, like a Matt Garza or James Shields from the Tampa Bay Rays who have an abundance of pitching. Trading Heath Bell to maximize Bell's value now then flip him, for one of Garza or Shields to the Brewers to meet their starting pitching needs for Brett Lawrie. Of course the Padres just traded two quality arms in Ryan Webb and Edward Mujica however, some analysts speculate the Padres will still trade Bell because of money. The Padres have plenty of candidates to fill in middle relief roles and Jed Hoyer seems confident in either Mike Adams or Luke Gregerson to close in the near future. The Padres could also sign a relatively cheap Free Agent pitcher to fill the void. There are many attractive Free Agent pitchers who could be had at a bargain price, Trevor Hoffman anyone?

The Padres don't have the Major League starting pitching depth to acquire Lawrie but would the Brewers settle for another young prospect in Simon Castro, or a package of players to bolster their pitching depth? The Padres could dangle Bell and possibly a back end of the rotation starter like LeBlanc. The Padres have Simon Castro, one of the more attractive young starting pitching prospects in all of Baseball according to Baseball America, Castro is rated number seventeenth overall, Brett Lawrie is number fifteen. The Padres also have young pitchers like Corey Luebke that projects to be a solid middle of the rotation starter and will be vying for a job in Spring Training for the number five spot in the starting rotation. Could the Padres dangle Luebke or LeBlanc along with other attractive young pitchers to entice the Brewers enough to give up their top prospect?

The Brewers locked up Corey Hart, have Ryan Braun in left field and General Manager Doug Melvin has floated the idea with Rickie Weeks about a new deal. Internally, there is some uncertainty among scouts where he fits defensively. Having said that, Lawrie could be expendable, especially because of their desperation for pitching in general, not just starting pitching. However, realistically the Padres have to build around pitching and defense. Does that rule them out? It makes me very interested in what Jed Hoyer has in mind when he has "repeatedly" spoken to the Brewers about the young promising top prospect.

Who is Brett Lawrie? Not to be confused with Jed Lowrie of the Boston Red Sox.  Pre-2010, Rated the number fifty ninth Prospect by Baseball America (Updated to #15) Drafted by the Milwaukee Brewers in the first round (16th) of the 2008 MLB June Amateur Draft. Brett R. Lawrie Bats: Right, Throws: Right. His line between A-AA (.280 .343 .445 .788). Last year in AA was his best year batting (.285 .346 .451) while hitting 36 doubles 16 triples 8 homers 63 runs batted in 30 stolen bases in 554 at bats while not striking out a ridiculous amount, 118 times. Lawrie had sixty extra base hits total, (16 triples) thats ridiculous.

He would be a nice player to profile in Petco park, to fit Jed Hoyer's philosophy of, "playing Petco park into an advantage". Brett Lowrie's a right handed hitter (profiling power better in Petco) second-basemen. Lawrie has fantastic bat speed, strong hands that enable him to have raw plus-plus power that has 30 home run potential. Here is an Interesting fact that could move him along quicker than some, Brett has been using wooden bats exclusively since he was 14-years old. He hits for power to all parts of the field and has been displaying that early on. he's more athletic than his stalky frame would indicate, fringe above avg speed and solid arm strength. He has improved at 2nd with his hands and footwork. Having said that, some scouts think he is destined for an outfield corner. HIs bat would profile anywhere. 

Player projection Jeff Kent. 

"Brett defines an athlete. He was able to move from catching to second base without missing a beat. His desire to reach his goals is unrivaled." -- Brewers farm director, Reid Nichols

They always say, 'You can't do this or that.' But that doesn't bother me. I know what I can do and what I can't do. It just makes me strive harder to get it done." -- On making the transition to second base

I really like this kid. While The Padres may not be able to acquire him now, the Padres have been inquiring about him much like they have in the past on players like Cameron Maybin, who was mentioned in Heath Bell rumors last year and is now the Padres starting center fielder. So, while we might not see Brett Lawrie in a Padres uniform in 2011, it's always interesting to know what your General Manager is thinking about for the future.

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