Season Previews: San Diego Padres

A priest and chicken walk into a bar...

Kicking off our preview of the National League West is a look at the San Diego Padres' upcoming season.

San Diego's rotation is headlined by one Jake Peavy, known by airport security everywhere for his unchallenged badassery. Behind him is a 41-year-old who longs for another championship ring before retirement. Greg Maddux is no spring chicken.

Starter Chris Young has been compared to Nolan Ryan and Randy Johnson by Baseball Prospectus... don't mind if I beg to differ - he went 11-5 with a 3.46 ERA in 31 starts last season, walking 69 batters. Clay Hensley had the same amount of W's, but 7 more in the losses column, walking 7 more batters in 37 games, including 29 starts. The lone left-hander in the mix is the husky, yet lovable David Wells.

Trevor Hoffman will continue to shine in the closer role, followed by a bullpen chock-full of righties including Cla Meredith and his insane delivery. Two very different guys named Scott (Linebrink and Cassidy), Heath Bell and Doug Brocail will round out the relief corps along with Royce Ring from the left-hand side. Andrew Brown should be set to fill in for injuries.

Maybe the most heartwarming part of this story is the reunion of two brothers: second baseman Marcus and right-fielder Brian Giles. Luckily, Marcus wasn't offered a contract by the Atlanta Braves, so he could join his bro in California to teach him how not to walk 100 times in a season.

Also up the middle is human highlight-reel Kahlil Greene, who will continue his defensive acrobatics at short and probably stay average at the plate. If all else fails, he could star in shampoo commercials.

Lefty Adrian Gonzalez and youngster Kevin Kouzmanoff will work the corners, backed up by Russell Branyan.

Todd Walker and Geoff Blum will warm the bench and provide shoddy infield defense with Jose Cruz Jr. set if Terrmel Sledge falls apart out in left or Mike Cameron can't roam center.

The Pads didn't keep up with the NL Joneses this offseason, namely the Cubs' freakish spending spree. Picking up Maddux may have bolstered their rotation, but if he and/or Wells is injured down the road, they could be left out in the cold. Be prepared for a second-place finish.

Last season, San Diego tied the Los Angeles Dodgers for an 88-74 record. With the re-surging San Francisco Giants, expect this division to be anyone's. At this point, even the Rockies and D'Backs have a shot at the title. It'll definitely be interesting.