SAN DIEGO -- The Padres floundered much of last season without a closer. Now they have two, and they should soon have three.

Right-hander Rod Beck on Saturday agreed to return to the Padres to serve as the setup man to closer Trevor Hoffman. In accepting a one-year, $1.75 million contract with an option for 2005, Beck bypassed the chance to close games for the Colorado Rockies at a lower salary.

"If you asked me for my Christmas wish list," Padres general manager Kevin Towers said, "it would have had getting Hoffy's deal done and then finding a way to have Rod back, too. This is huge.

"We have a chance by the end of the week to have three closers in the bullpen."

Hoffman (352 career saves) and Beck (286) could be joined by right-hander Akinori Otsuka. The 31-year-old was 17-for-18 in save chances last year for the Chunichi Dragons and has 132 career saves in Japan.

Towers said the Padres are "90 percent there" in their negotiations with Otsuka. He could be in San Diego sometime in the next week to take a physical.

The return of Beck and the arrival of Otsuka would give the Padres a suddenly deep bullpen. Otsuka would figure to work the sixth and seventh innings, along with right-hander Jay Witasick. Then there's right-hander Scott Linebrink, who was impressive as the long reliever last year, and left-hander Kevin Walker, who hopes to regain his rookie form after two years of arm problems.

Towers hopes to land a second left-hander, and he has made a trade proposal to get one. That could happen as soon as Monday, he said.

Regardless of the final alignment of the bullpen -- Witasick figures to become trade bait to free his $1.75 million salary for landing a free-agent starting pitcher -- Towers knows for sure the late innings are in good hands.

The Padres are confident Hoffman will be effective again after missing all but the final month last season following two shoulder surgeries. But even if he isn't, they have Beck as a fall-back. Beck, 35, signed with the Padres in June and went 20-for-20 in save opportunities. He was 3-2 with a 1.78 ERA in 36 appearances and held opponents to a .197 batting average.

Before Beck arrived, the Padres' bullpen was a pit of quicksand. With Hoffman and Witasick (elbow) sidelined to start the year, manager Bruce Bochy rotated Brandon Villafuerte, Jaret Wright, Matt Herges and Jesse Orosco in the closers' role without success.

The psychological deflation of several late-inning losses contributed to the Padres' 6-23 record in May.

"There's nothing worse than losing a game late," Towers said. "We saw it happen in April and May. We really didn't get on track until Rod came in.

"He knows his role, and he knows Hoffy is going to be the guy. But he is going to have an important role. We've got a young rotation, and the bullpen is going to play a big part in their success or failure."

With the bullpen just about set, Towers will be able to turn his attention to two other important matters. He still is seeking one or two veteran starting pitchers -- free agent Greg Maddux will get a second look if no big-money bidders emerge -- and he is pondering a center fielder.

Towers spoke with the agent of free agent Kenny Lofton on Saturday and will make a firm offer early in the week. The New York Yankees, however, are said to also have interest and surely would outbid the Padres if they follow through.

More expensive options are free agent Mike Cameron and a trade for Jacque Jones of the Minnesota Twins.

The trade of Mark Kotsay to the Oakland Athletics brought the Padres a catcher, Ramon Hernandez, but weakened the outfield defense. Towers is seeking a natural center fielder so he can avoid shifting Brian Giles from left field.

The 2005 option on Beck's contract is for $1.75 million, and the Padres would have to pay a $100,000 buyout if they choose not to keep him.

Contact staff writer Shaun O'Neill at (760) 739-3546 or soneill@nctimes.com.