I have a sneaky hunch that the Padres could get back into the Lee derby. With O-Dog and Bartlett, it looks like they aren't quite as broke as everyone thought. They are going to have at least 4 pre-arb starting position players (Venable/Blanks, Headley, Hundley, Maybin), plus Latos and Richard making minimum. Ludwick will be about $5MM, as are the middle infield starters. Bell will be $8 - 10MM as a 2d year arbitration guy, and Harang is another $4MM. That's less than $30MM for veterans. If they come in at $45MM, they could afford the rest of the roster on MLB minimum and sign Lee for a year at $8MM. That said, the better move is to limp along with cheap signings like perhaps a Hawpe / Cantu platoon until A. Rizzo or Blanks takes first.
