The San Deigo Padres currently have the worst record in all of baseball, at 38-62. And yet as of this writing they haven’t made any significant moves toward rebuilding the team, and are still acting as if they are trying to contend.

It’s time to get a move on that rebuilding, as the Padres are not going to be contending any time soon if they stand pat.

What the Padres need to do is build a team that can play well in their ballpark. This means building teams the way the Dodgers used to do back when Dodger Stadium was the game’s greatest pitcher’s park.

The Padres should focus on defense. They especially need to find outfielders who can cover the big gaps in the outfield at Petco, and especially in center field. Losing Mike Cameron after last season was a huge blow to the pitching staff.

On offense the Padres should focus on acquiring or developing hitters with skills that won’t be as affected by the big outfield. Hitters who draw a lot of walks, hit line drives, and hopefully have some speed. The Padres should not pay an extra premium to get hitters who hit a lot of home runs in other parks, because a lot of that value will be lost at Petco.

Similarly, when it comes to pitching the Padres should look for pitchers with who don’t walk a lot of guys. There is an opportunity here, in that the Padres can look for flyball pitchers who put up lousy numbers in other parks and can be had for cheap, but who will have a chance to succeed in cavernous Petco Park.

To acquire more of these types of players, the Padres should be prepared to trade most of their big-name veterans, as this year’s team is going nowhere but down any time soon.

In particular, the Padres should look to trade Kevin Kouzmanoff, Khalil Greene, Trevor Hoffman, Randy Wolf, and Tadahito Iguchi. These are all fairly big-name guys who other teams will want, but who are not useful to the Padres. Kouzmanoff and Greene have terrible on-base percentages, and thus have no business playing in a pitcher’s park like Petco, and Kouzmanoff is forcing up-and-coming prospect Chase Headley to left field, where his bat is not as valuable. Meanwhile, Hoffman, Wolf, and Iguchi are big-namers who are set to be free agents, so there is no need to keep them on a last-place team.

Update: The Padres have reportedly traded Randy Wolf to the Astros (!)

- What They Need Index -

It’s intervention time, people.

Astros GM Ed Wade is reportedly in talks to trade for Padres starting pitcher Randy Wolf . This is the act of a desperate man. He needs our help.

The problem is…well, there are lots of problems. But first and foremost, Wolf isn’t that good. He’s been added and dropped by every fantasy manager in America this season, because he strikes guys out (108 K’s) but he also get’s knocked around (4.74 ERA).

The Astros are currently in fifth place, 12 games out of first. They’ve given up 55 more runs than they’ve scored this season.

And yet Wade wants to trade for a starting pitcher – and a mediocre starting pitcher at that. Because, in his mind, the Astros are still right in the thick of it.

I’m not sure if this is a lingering effect from getting body slammed by Shawn Chacon, or what, but Wade needs some tough love. The Astros are not going to win the NL Central. The Cubs (who have scored 109 runs more than they’ve given up) are way too hot and way too stacked. Ditto the Brewers and the Cardinals (who both have a run differencial of +30). Even the Reds have a better shot at walking away with the division. Yet you don’t see the Reds trading away prospects for middle of the road starting pitchers.

And let’s not forget that Chicago recently traded for Rich Harden, who is about as dominant as they come (when healthy). The Brewers just added CC Sabathia (who you might remember from last season’s Cy Young Award ceremony). But that’s no big deal, because the Astros are about to add Randy Wolf!

I know Wade has never been the world’s savviest front office guy. But this is crazy even by his standards. Is it possible Wade was given a "win now or else" directive at the beginning of this season? That would explain a lot.

But directive or no directive, Wade needs to know that this season is lost and that the Astros simply don’t have the talent to be competitive anytime soon. Houston needs to rebuild and they need to start now, by trading guys like … well, everybody not named Hunter Pence. Jose Valverde should be the first to go, followed shortly thereafter by Miggy Tejada.

Why can’t you see what is so obvious that even the Reds can see it, Ed? Why can’t you accept that this Astros team simply isn’t very good? What is it going to take for you to throw in the towel?

Ed, we’re your friends and we care about you. And we’re worried.

One of the better free-agent signings of the past offseason has been Dodgers starter Randy Wolf, who was briefly tied for the National League lead in wins this week but is earning a rather reasonable $7.5 million this year.

At 8-4, Wolf is on a 20-win pace this season, and has provided a psychological boost as a “stopper” who has posted 5 of those victories following a Dodgers loss.

The scary part is, Wolf’s numbers would be even better if he didn’t have a mini meltdown in the first inning of virtually every game he starts.

Wolf has been absolutely atrocious to open ballgames, yielding an OPS of over 1.000 on the first 15 pitches he throws in a game, and posting a first inning ERA of 7.07, compared to 3.44 the rest of the way, having given up 11 earned runs in the first inning of ball games, compared to only 26 runs in all other innings combined.

A typical Wolf game will see him let in 2 or 3 runs in the opening frame, followed by 6 innings of flawless, shutout ball.  This man doesn’t need a closer – he needs an opener. I say bring the Dodgers should bring in Jon Broxton to pitch the first inning of Wolf’s games, while Wolf throws an extra 15 warmup pitches in the bullpen.

With the pitches Wolf would have normally wasted just getting out of the first, he can be his own setup man and closer. Indeed, on pitches 91-106, Wolf is yielding opponents a miniscule .238 batting average and .273 on-base percentage.

Randy Wolf is back. Wolf is pitching today against the Florida Marlins. It is his first start since undergoing Tommy John surgery a year ago. From the Philadelphia Inquirer:

The very thought of testing his arm in a big-league game for the first time since he underwent Tommy John surgery on July 1, 2005, has the eight-year veteran feeling born again.

“I’m going to feel like it’s my first game all over again,” said Wolf. “When you get to the big leagues, you have to prove you belong. When you have this injury, you have to reprove yourself.”

The Phillies, a team with precious few opportunities to cheer these days, look forward to the proving.

“He says he’s feeling real good, and it looks like he’s ready to go,” manager Charlie Manuel said.

The Phillies have missed him, especially during their failed attempt at a wild-card berth last season, when they could have used a pitcher who was a 16-game winner and an all-star as recently as 2003.

Now, as he sets out to show he can be that mound presence again, the revitalized Wolf is looking far beyond today’s start.

“I ran into Schill right after I had surgery and he said, ‘Welcome to the second half of your career,’ ” Wolf said, referring to Curt Schilling, the former Phillies ace who had career-extending shoulder surgeries.

Tommy John surgery is a major procedure, no doubt about it. But it’s not impossible to bounce back from. Pitchers who have had the surgery and gone on to pitch for several more years include John Smoltz, Jose Mesa and Adam Eaton. Oh, and Tommy John.

Wolf’s timing is perfect. There won’t be much pressure on him to perform this season. The team has already given up on the playoffs, signified by the trades they pulled off this week, sending David Bell to the Brewers and Bobby Abreu to the Yankees. So Wolf can take his time regaining his old form.