Stauffer might come back to the Padres this offseason. Mandatory Credit: Anthony Gruppuso-USA TODAY Sports

But with the new year rapidly approaching and still in need of some depth at the positional area, the Padres have recently found themselves trying to “hedge” the franchise’s 2013 “Starting Staff bets” by going in another direction for help.  As Kevin pointed out in a recent post which surrounded Bill Center of the Union-Tribune’s most recent Padres-themed chat, the Friars are reportedly interested in signing veterans Tim Stauffer and Dustin Moseley to Minor League contracts.

While the signing of either players would not be the most intriguing or exciting of offseason moves, it would definitely benefit the Padres to attempt to explore every avenue for Starting Pitching help.  As we found out last season Friars fans, things can go haywire for any Starting Rotation in terms of season-ending injuries destroying the seasons of multiple players.  When this happens, players from outside the organization like Jeff Suppan and Ross Ohlendorf sometimes need to be signed off of the veteran Free Agent scrap-heap to cobble together some sort of passable rotation if there is little MLB-ready depth left in the organization.

With Stauffer and Moseley, the Padres at least know what they will be able to get performance-wise out of both Pitchers.  While both hurlers come with injury-risks (Stauffer most recently elbow, Moseley most recently shoulder), they have a solid amount of professional experience under their belts’.  Plus, if they are needed to come up at mid-season or earlier and healthy, either one player can contribute in a pinch.

Remember readers, Stauffer was thought by many to be the Padres’ de-facto #1 starter entering last year, and was coming off of decent performances during the 2010 and 2011 seasons.  Overall, Stauffer went 15-17 over those two years and pitched in 63 Games, Started 38 (including a career-high 31 in 2011), threw 268.1 Innings (185.2 in 2011), and struck out 189 batters.  Moseley on the other hand did not have the best of records during the 2011 season (3-10), but still put up a respectable 3.30 ERA over 20 Starts and 120.0 Innings for the Friars before he went down with a left-shoulder dislocation.  Unfortunately for both Pitchers, their injuries limited them to one start apiece last year as they were the first of many Padres players to be bitten by the “injury bug.”

In my opinion, whichever proves he can not only be the most effective, but stay the most healthy through Spring Training and a Minor League stint should be signed and at least given a chance compete.  Of the two I would most like to see Stauffer signed back as he might be able to fill the same sort of role he did back in 2010 when he worked out of both the Bullpen and the Starting Rotation (7 Starts, 32 Relief Outings).  But if Moseley is indeed the better option (and healthy), I see no reason why he does not deserve a Spring Training tryout and a Minor League shot.

Final Thoughts

My issue with the Friars’ Starting Rotation has more to do with depth than it has to do with talent.  In another rebuilding year, I would be fine if San Diego trotted out a rotation of: Richard, Volquez, Marquis, Stults, Ross/Bass/Kelly, and had Luebke and Wieland waiting to make significant contributions in 2014.  My main worry would be if something happened to multiple members of the projected Starting Staff, and that is where a veteran stop-gap like a Stauffer or a Moseley could emerge as a viable option to turn to in a time of need.

The way the Free Agent/Trade Winds have blown to this point, it might be in Byrnes’ best interest to sign one of these guys as an insurance policy.  I would not mind seeing either one of these guys signed to a Minor League deal, especially with the Padres’ offseason efforts to bolster their Starting Rotation have gone.  If nothing works out with either Pitcher, then hey, the move did not set the franchise back in the least bit.  I would rather see them under-pay for a Moseley or a Stauffer as opposed to over-pay for a 1-year stop-gap like a Joe Saunders, Matsuzaka, or a Myers.

But that is just me.

Readers: Should the Padres attempt to sign either Stauffer or Moseley?  Or should they continue to test the Free Agent/Trade waters?

Stats & Contract Information Courtesy of: Baseball Reference

Edinson Volquez took the mound on a consistent basis in 2012. Mandatory Credit: Jake Roth-US PRESSWIRE

After reading Brock’s piece however I got to thinking that some new acquisitions and the continued development of the younger arms in the high-levels of the Minor Leagues are not all this Friars team will need come 2013.  In my opinion, whichever starters emerge from the pack to form San Diego’s 2013 rotation, two very important things will need to happen to ensure their success: continuity as a rotation, and the most crucial of all, continued health.

Continuity & Health Completely Missing From 2012

To say that the members of the Padres’ Starting Rotation were “beset by injuries” last season would not do what actually occurred over the last seven months any justice.  For any team to use more than 10 different starting Pitchers is terrible enough over the course of a season, but the Padres were forced to use a total of 15 different starters over the course of 2012.  Of last season’s Opening Day Starting Five, only Clayton Richard and Edinson Volquez were able to finish out the season with over 30 starts under their belts’.  Veterans Tim Stauffer and Dustin Moseley both made only 1 start apiece, and the up-and-coming Cory Luebke was shelved with an elbow injury after only 5 starts.

Unfortunately for the Padres, the young starters they used to replace the veterans, Joe Wieland, Casey Kelly, Anthony Bass, and Andrew Cashner, had their own share of injury issues, and could not contribute as much as the team would have liked, or were only on the starting staff (Andrew Werner) for a short period.  Moreover, the veterans that the Padres signed off the proverbial “scrap heap,” were either performing decently until they were injured (Jason Marquis) or ineffective (Ross Ohlendorf, Kip Wells, and Jeff Suppan), with the exception of Eric Stults, who even missed time due to an injury as well.

Between the injuries and constant changes in the rotation on what seemed like a bi-weekly basis, the Padres got off to a rocky start and did not seem to get back on track until it was too late in the season.  Without any continuity, little consistency for much of the season, the rotation was in flux, and the team suffered because of it.  Sure, the bats were essentially frozen until the Summer got underway, but when only two members of the Opening Day starting staff are the only one to make it through the entire season basically healthy, it was no wonder the Padres had so many issues.

What To Look Forward To

Entering next season, the Padres appear to have three starters as locks in regards to their 2013 rotation.  Richard and Volquez were consistent in their efforts last season, and both led the team in almost every major starting pitching category (Starts, Wins, Innings Pitched, Strikeouts, etc..).  Both Richard and Volquez are solid veteran options for any team to have in their rotation, and should figure in greatly to the Padres’ plans in 2013.  In addition to Richard and Volquez, 2012 newcomer, and overall pleasant surprise Eric Stults will likely be given every chance available to win a job in the rotation next season.  After his acquisition off of waivers last year, Stults came back strong from a lat injury to finish the season with an 8-3 record.

Outside of Richard, Volquez, and Stults, the Starting Pitching situation could get murky, and this will likely be the cause of the Front Office pursuing some off-season acquisitions over the coming months.  Luebke and Wieland will likely both be sidelined for a significant amount of time due to their recoveries from elbow surgery.  Stauffer and Moseley have had their share of injury issues in the past, and might not be tendered or even brought back next season.  The field however will likely be open to likely four candidates already on the roster, Cashner, Bass, Werner, Kelly, along with whichever starters are brought in to compete for a spot in the rotation.

If this team had any sort of rotational stability during the first three months, it would have been interesting to see how many games they actually won.  My hope is that 15 different starters are never used again in one season, because it is a recipe for disaster for any team with starting pitching issues like they had last season.

All we can do now however is wait, watch, and hope that any and all starters the team decides to ultimately keep and acquire can stay relatively healthy.  This team is poised for another season of improvement in 2013, and it would be downright sickening to see it derailed by injuries again.  Regardless of what happens though, monitoring the moves made by the Front Office surrounding the starting rotation will be interesting to keep up with over the offseason.

Stats Courtesy of: Baseball Reference