Erick Aybar is officially a Padre and wants your love.

Let this sink in for a minute:

Okay, guys, we’ve grown accustomed to a steady diet of garbage at this key position, so let’s not get our hopes trashed too fast. Mr. Aybar projects to be roughly replacement level, he’s healthy, and he’s looked good this spring. It’s not greatness, but it’s mediocrity and hopefully stability. Now the competition for backup is set for Luis Sardinas and Allen Cordoba. There’s a solid chance that both stick on the roster as utility backups.

In other news, the starting rotation for the Dodgers series has been set. Are you ready for this:

There you go. Jhoulys Chacin has been pretty good this spring. Richard and Weaver have been adventures to say the least. Regardless, that’s the front end of our rotation, and the back-end is still open for debate, and I’ll let Jesse break that down for you again:

This isn’t the kind of news that gets Padres fans excited. I’d rather be talking about Austin Hedges or Hunter Renfroe or the San Diego Chicken, but the fact is that we need someone to play shortstop and we need at least a few guys to toe the rubber for the Padres the first week of the season, and there are now warm bodies assigned to those roles. Opening Day is approaching, and I’m getting a little verklemt. Talk amongst yourselves!