Source: Padres will be in market for outfielder

The Padres outfield was nothing close to perfect. The additions of Ryan Ludwick and Tony Gwynn failed to produce positive results at the plate, and Will Venable and Chris Denorfia failed to live up to the sleeper hype. No doubt, the Padres pitching carried the team for much of the season.

It appears that Ludwick has more of a future than Denorfia or Venable in the Padres outfield, so targeting a corner outfielder seems to be their best bet. In center, Tony Gwynn will be likely be given another shot, but the team shouldn't hesitate starting young outfielder Aaron Cunningham, who hit .288 with 1 home run and a .331 OBP in 133 at-bats.

On the free agent market, former Padres outfielder Xavier Nady could be an option, especially if he is given an expanded role. Assuming outfielder Brad Hawpe is not retained by the Rays, he could be a lost cost option with high reward. It wasn't too long ago that Hawpe hit 29 home runs with the Rockies.

If they decide to explore a trade, several Padres scouts have always kept tabs on Cubs outfielder Kosuke Fukudome. Fukudome had another average year, but he was better than he was in the past. Contract issues could deter that trade.