Aug 6, 2012; San Diego, CA, USA; San Diego Padres relief pitcher Huston Street (16) wets his fingers during the ninth inning against the Chicago Cubs at Petco Park. Mandatory Credit: Jake Roth-USA TODAY Sports

Situation: Last year’s bullpen wasn’t as solid as it had been in years past, but it was good enough to have the ninth best bullpen ERA in the Major Leagues.

The bullpen was a work in progress, as top relief prospects Nick Vincent, Tommy Layne, Brad Boxberger and Miles Mikolas made their Big League debuts.

Joe Thatcher, Luke Gregerson and Huston Street added much needed veteran experience for the younger guys. With a year of experience under their belt, I expect the bullpen to be a much better group this year.

New Additions: Fautino De Los Santos is the newest addition to the relief squad. The Padres plucked the Dominican right-hander off waivers from the Milwaukee Brewers to add depth at the position.

Tyson Ross is more of a starter than a reliever, but if he does not make the starting rotation, he could find his way into the bullpen.

Jason Ray, Daniel Stange and Jerry Sullivan all signed Minor League contracts

Re-signed: The Padres avoided arbitration with setup man Luke Gregerson by signing him to a one-year, $3.2 million contract for the 2013 season.

Positional Outlook: As it stands right now, Huston Street is the club’s closer, with Gregerson and Dale Thayer serving as setup men.

The left-handed specialists are Thatcher and Layne. Brad Brach could serve in a dual role as a long reliever and a setup man. I believe there is room for one more in the bullpen, and that spot is up for grabs.

The four leading candidates for that final bullpen slot are Mikolas, Ross, Anthony Bass and Andrew Cashner.

I would like to see Mikolas or Bass get the last spot with Ross or Cashner slotted in the rotation.

This is the last of the Spring Training Position Battles. Hope you enjoyed the series. Let us know in the comment box below who you would like to see win the final spot in the bullpen.

The team is also exchanging salary figures with pitchers Luke Gregerson, Clayton Richard and third baseman Chase Headley, according to Corey Brock of Padres.com

July 25, 2012; San Francisco, CA, USA; San Diego Padres right fielder Will Venable (25) bats against the San Francisco Giants during the eighth inning at AT

Venable,30, agreed to a $2.675 million contract for the 2013 season. Venable earns himself a small raise from the $1.47 million he made in 2012. His pay raise comes after he posted a .264 batting average with 9 home runs and 45 RBIs  in 148 games last season.

Cabrera avoids arbitration by agreeing to a $1.27 million contract for 2013. The switch-hitting shortstop will see his salary nearly triple from the $495,600 he made in 2012. The Nicaraguan posted a 2012 slash line of .246/.324/.324.

Thatcher, the longest tenured Padre, will enter his seventh season with the the ball club after agreeing to a $1.35 million deal for next season, a jump from the $700,000 he earned last year.  The left-hander held a a 1-4 record with a 3.41 ERA in 55 games last season.

Volquez is the ace off the starting rotation and he has been rewarded for his 2012 season where he went 11-11 with a 4.11 ERA. His reliable 2012 season has him avoiding arbitration by agreeing to a contract worth $5.725 million in 2013. In 2012, made $2.375 million.

Baker filled in at catcher quite nicely for the struggling Nick Hundley. Baker put together a .238 average with 14 RBIs in 63 games last year. He will be back with the club next year as he is to make $930,000. Last year, he made $750,000.

Not Yet Signed

Luke Gregerson, one of the most efficient setup men in all of baseball, made $1.55 million in 2012, and is said to be seeking a contract of about $3.75 million in 2013. Gregerson deserves every penny as he pitched to a 2.39 ERA with 9.0 SO/9 this past year.

After six Major League seasons, Chase Headley had his finest Major League season of his career. A year ago, Headley batted .286 with 31 home runs and won the RBI crown in the National League with 115.His efforts garnered him his first Gold Glove award and his first Silver Slugger. He did all this while earning $3.47 milllion. Headley is now seeking a contract for 2013 worth around $10.3 million.

Clayton Richard, continues to impress each season. This past year, the southpaw compiled a 14-14 record with a 3.99 ERA and a team leading 218 2/3 innings pitched. Richard earned $2.705 million last season. He is looking for a contract for next year at about $5.55 million.

Therein lies a huge offseason question:  Would it benefit the Padres to pull the trigger on a deal to send Gregerson and/or Thatcher to acquire more Starting Pitching help like a Porcello?  Although the decision might be difficult, I actually believe that San Diego would be best served to see what/who they can acquire in a deal for one or both of their most effective and veteran Bullpen arms.

Thatcher might be a marketable player for the Padres to package in a deal for a Starting Pitcher. Mandatory Credit: Matt Kartozian-USA TODAY Sports

Why a “Gregerson/Thatcher Trade for a Starter” Could Work for the Padres

As I alluded to in a past post, the Padres might actually be able to afford the losses of Gregerson and Thatcher because the franchise does have a number of young and talented Relief Pitchers within their organization.  Last season, Brad Boxberger, Tom Layne, Miles Mikolas, Nick Vincent, and Brad Brach each received an extensive amount of Big League expereince between them, and should be primed to compete for even more Innings at the professional level in 2013.  In addition to those players, San Diego will likely receive some contributions in Long Relief and out of the Bullpen from Anthony Bass and/or Tyson Ross if neither one is able to crack the Starting Rotation by the beginning of the regular season.

But not only does San Diego have a nice core of young Bullpen depth available on their roster right now, they also have some solid Relief Pitchers waiting in the wings at the Minor League level as well.  Both Kevin Quackenbush and Matt Stites capped off their efficient 2012 regular seasons’ with stellar performances during their stints in the Arizona Fall League two months ago also.

While the Padres have not dealt Gregerson or Thatcher this offseason, it could very well be an option they are mulling over as we speak.  Contending teams are always in the market for Bullpen depth, and veteran “LOOGY’s” (Left-Handed One Out Guy) like Thatcher and guys with Sliders like Gregerson could be just the players San Diego tries to lure these contenders to trade for this offseason.  A deal for Porcello might benefit both San Diego and Detroit as the Tigers are in need of Bullpen help, and the Padres could definitely use the services of a young and effective Starting Pitcher.

If the Padres had little to zero Bullpen depth, or no long-term options in the Minors, I would say that the Padres look in other directions to acquire Starting Pitching depth.  However, with what San Diego has behind Gregerson and Thatcher on their Roster and at the Double & Triple-A levels, parting ways with their veterans to acquire a promising Starter like Porcello might be a solid trade for the franchise to make.  I for one am intrigued to see what transpires over the next two to three months, and I hope that the Padres can find a way to further upgrade their Starting Rotation.  My only hope is that if the Friars do deal one or both of their veterans out of the Bullpen that the guys taking their places’ can step up and make the transition seamless.