Zero. Padres want to challenge him, see how he responds, but he probably opens the season with Single-A Lake Elsinore. Remember, he has yet to pitch above low-SIngle A.

Cesar Carrillo and Nick Schmidt both are to pitch an inning this afternoon. Matthew Bushmann probably will pitch the second inning. Mat Latos is expected to throw an inning tomorrow against the Indians in Goodyear.

Unless the Padres contend for the playoffs this summer, Giles probably will be traded. Peavy is also a possibility. The Red Sox and Yankees probably would have interest in Giles, but he said the Angels would have an advantage because he could be closer to his daughters. The Angels have a glut of outfielders, though. Keep an eye on the A's. If they can contend, Giles might interest them. The Cubs probably would revisit the Peavy talks.

Still early, but so far, no. My first year at Padres spring training was 1995. That wasn't very good, either. Remember, a labor stoppage cut the 1994 season short, followed by the charade with replacement players. But the 1995 team also had Tony Gwynn and Trevor Hoffman, and fans also were excited to see what newcomers such as Ken Caminiti and Steve Finley would do. Plus, the Moores-Lucchino partnership was starting out and created optimism.

Not everyone was sold on Inman. The Brewers, for example. After all, they traded him. There were also reports that he might be better suited to a relief role if he reached the majors. Inman's delivery is pretty complicated. Not easy for him to be consistent, so it may be asking a lot for him to become a No. 3 starter in the majors. He might be better off as  back-end starter or a reliever. In terms of arm strength, Latos might match up with Hanson, but he is nowhere near as polished or experienced. If all works out, Adis Portillo can become a frontline starter. He consistently threw 94 mph in the Dominican instructional league. But that's strictly a projection play. He has yet to pitch in any minor-league games. He turned 17 only two months ago.

Maybe this year, if Peavy and Young can stay healthy and the young hitters mature. The new hitting coach, Jim Lefebvre, insists that the Padres can become productive offensively at Petco Park. He is working on cutting down the strikeouts. He wants fewer lazy flyballs, more line drives and hard groundballs. More on him later this week. Realistically, though, the Padres could be as bad as they were last year, or worse, if they get hit with injuries  and don't get lucky in their bargain-bin rummaging for relievers. You'd like to see more power arms among their prospects and more athleticism overall. Their talent margins remain quite thin.