Mandatory Credit: Dennis Wierzbicki-USA TODAY Sports

Edwin Jackson – The Chicago Cubs signed Jackson to a four- year $36 million contract during the off-season. And so far the Cubs haven’t been getting their moneys worth. In two starts Jackson is 0-2 with a 5.73 earned run average. The Cubs’ No. 2 starter got hammered in his last start giving up  five earned runs with five walks and six strikeouts. Jackson

Dan Haren – Haren has been inconsistent in two starts for the Washington Nationals. In his first outing against the Cincinnati Reds the right-hander lasted only four innings, giving up five runs, which four came off of home runs. Haren’s start was a little bit better, but he still manage to struggle. Haren got his first win of the season against the Chicago White Sox tossing over five innings with no strike outs and one walk. He did manage to give up 10 hits though. So far Haren and his one-year $13 million contract has produced a 1-1 record with a 9.00 ERA while giving up 19 hits in two starts.

Joe Saunders – Saunders is fitting in quite nicely with the Seattle Mariners. While his numbers aren’t astonishing he is the best pitcher so far that had been linked to the Padres this off-season. Saunders has a 1-1 record with a 3.48 ERA in two starts for the M’s. Saunders signed a one-year deal this off-season.

Shaun Marcum – Marcum hasn’t pitched a game yet in 2013 for the New York Mets. Marcum is suffering from nerve inflammation in his neck. So far Marcum has been a waste for the Mets at one-year $4million.

Justin Upton – I have every reason to believe that Upton would have been the trade that would have knocked Padres fans’ socks off. Unfortunately, Josh Byrnes was to scared to pull the trigger. That’s just to bad because Upton is having an MVP type season so far.  Upton has a .385 batting average with six home runs and 10 RBI.

Let us know in the comment box what you think about these players.

Jackson seeks at least a four-year contract while Padres general manager Josh Byrnes isn’t budging on more than three years for any free-agent.

https://twitter.com/JimBowdenESPNxm/status/281201784775667712

The frontrunners for the right-hander are now the pitching heavy Texas Rangers and the Chicago Cubs.

Sep 9, 2012; Washington, DC, USA; Washington Nationals starting pitcher Edwin Jackson (33) sits in the dugout after being removed from the game against the Miami Marlins in the fifth inning at Nationals Park. Mandatory Credit: Brad Mills-USA TODAY Sports

Jackson would have been a nice complement in a rotation that is set to include Edinson Volquez, Clayton Richard and Eric Stults.

Now with negotiations ending with Jackson, the Padres have yet to acquire a marquee free agent starting pitcher, which was Byrnes’ priority going into the off-season.

The list of top remaining free agent starting pitchers just keeps getting shorter and shorter with Shaun Marcum and Joe Saunders at the top of the list.

The Padres have also been linked to Ubaldo Jimenez and Justin Masterson.

We will see how the Padres recoup from losing out on Jackson.

We speculated that the Padres could have interest in both of these pitchers and the media has made our theories correct. Jackson, is expected to command a multi-year deal worth $10-12 million annually. The Padres do not seem to want to make an offer on the higher end of the pay scale. Personally, a three-year, $30 million offer would be a fair offer. Anytime a team dips into the free agent market, they are going to overpay.

Oct 12, 2012; Washington, DC, USA; Washington Nationals pitcher Edwin Jackson (33) throws during the seventh inning against the St. Louis Cardinals of game five of the 2012 NLDS at Nationals Park. Mandatory Credit: Brad Mills-USA TODAY Sports

As for Porcello, the Tigers need help in the bullpen. Perhaps a deal built around Luke Gregerson could be a starting point in trade talks. The Tigers could use another arm in the pen and Gregerson has proven to be one of the best setup men in the business.

It is clear that the Padres need to get another viable starter if they have any chance in competing in the NL West.