SAN DIEGO -- It was no difficult task for Padres general manager Kevin Towers to put a pen to paper and come up with areas of the team he would like to improve for the 2008 season.

Really, Towers has probably been doing this as far back as last season, pointing to the offseason where about anything is possible, depending on how much you are willing to spend or part with in trades.

Starting this week with the General Managers Meetings in Orlando, Fla., and moving toward the Winter Meetings in Nashville, Tenn., in December, Towers and his staff will push forward with their agenda of how to improve upon the Padres' 89 victories from last season.

"We're looking at Minor League free agents as well as Major League free agents, targeting guys that we have a realistic shot to sign," Towers said. "We need to look at trades as well. In the next week to 10 days, we'll start talking with teams we might have fits with."

What will they talk about? Plenty.

The Padres could look little like the team that came within three outs of making the postseason, as there could be as many as three new position players from Opening Day last season, possibly two new starting pitchers as well as a revamped bench.

"I would say outfield is probably No. 1 [priority], and we probably need two starting pitchers, a [backup] catcher and if the right seventh-inning arm is out there, we will look at that," Towers said. "So in that order is what we're looking at."

With Milton Bradley and Mike Cameron free agents -- Towers said the team has not closed any doors on their free agents, even though Cameron will miss 25 games to start the season after testing positive for a banned stimulant -- right fielder Brian Giles is the only sure returnee in the outfield.

Scott Hairston, who had several big hits after coming over in a midseason trade from Arizona, could get a look in left field. The Padres will likely make a run at former Braves center fielder Andruw Jones to some capacity, though they won't -- and can't -- break the bank.

Jones, represented by agent Scott Boras, will command a big contract. The Padres' only hope is they can offer the 30-year-old who hit .222 last season a loaded one-year deal to entice him to a ballpark in PETCO Park that he's turned into his personal playpen (.393, nine home runs, 21 RBIs in just 15 games).

There are other possibilities in center field, like Philadelphia's Aaron Rowand, Corey Patterson and Kenny Lofton, though Towers has been around long enough to know the uncertainty of pursuing free agents and their high-sticker costs.

In other words, expect the Padres to improve their club more by trades than signing free agents.

"We have always had more success with trades than free agency," Towers said. "Free agency is such an unknown. There are no guarantees. That's why I like to look at my trade options first."

One player who might be a good fit with the Padres is White Sox center fielder Brian Anderson, who is 25 and is a plus defensive player. He makes his offseason home in San Diego, which isn't reason enough to trade for him, though a change of scenery from his struggles on the South Side might make him attractive. Also, Towers and White Sox general manager Kenny Williams have done deals in the past.

Yet another might be Boston's Coco Crisp, supplanted by World Series hero Jacoby Ellsbury, though he is owed $4.75 million in 2008 and $5.75 million in 2009.

The Padres might have a better chance of swinging a deal with the Angels, who have two players -- Reggie Willits and Nathan Haynes -- who are center field types. Willits can play all three spots and hit leadoff, while Haynes is regarded as a very good defensive center fielder.

The Padres will look internationally for players as well, especially outfielder Kosuke Fukudome, a player Towers nearly signed out of high school when Fukudome was a shortstop. Fukudome is 30 and pegs better as a corner outfielder than a center fielder.

"We're not looking at anyone in particular," Towers said when asked about Fukudome. "We are looking at pitchers. It's become such a competitive market that we really don't want to say much. I will say that we have had dialogue about them."

As for the starting rotation, the Padres will have Cy Young favorite Jake Peavy and Chris Young coming back and, as of Monday, 41-year-old Greg Maddux, who is expected to formally sign a one-year, $10 million contract this week.

That leaves two openings in the rotation. There's internal candidates (Brett Tomko, Jack Cassel, among others), though the team is expected to look hard at Matt Clement, who started his career in San Diego. Clement is coming off shoulder surgery, but was cleared to pitch in September.

Another option might be former Blue Jay Josh Towers, who won't likely be tendered a contract by Toronto. The Padres reportedly tried to trade for Towers at midseason.

The Padres won't likely pursue a veteran second baseman.

"We think we can fill our second base hole internally," Towers said. That means rookie Matt Antonelli and Luis Rodriguez will be the frontrunners heading into Spring Training, though Oscar Robles and Craig Stansberry are in the mix, as well.

Other than Cameron and Bradley, there's a chance that three other free agents -- infielder Geoff Blum, catcher Michael Barrett and reliever Doug Brocail -- might not be back.

Barrett is a Type A free agent, and the Padres stand to collect two compensatory Draft picks if he signs elsewhere, which is expected to happen. Brocail is a Type B free agent, meaning that the Padres would receive one compensatory Draft pick if he signs elsewhere.

As for Blum, he's been contacted by several clubs, though as of last week the Padres weren't one of them. He would like to remain in San Diego.

"I think that Geoff would like to play a little more," Towers said. "And I certainly think he's a much better player when he is playing every day. He's performed much better when he's had consecutive plate appearances."