SAN DIEGO —— Kevin Towers will not be blinded by the crown. He will not be distracted by the banner stripped across the Western Metal Supply Co. building, the one declaring the Padres champions of the National League West.

The Padres' general manager is heading into what he expects to be a busy offseason with his eyes wide open, acutely aware of his team's needs and weaknesses after it won the injury-depleted division with an 82-80 record and was swept out of the playoffs by the St. Louis Cardinals.

"I think there needs to be change," Towers said. "There are some guys who are solid players on our club, but I do think that there needs to be change to be better than we were this year. Yeah, we won our division, but I'd like to even be better next year. I certainly know our deficiencies and know that we need to address them."

If the first season at Petco Park convinced Towers that he should restructure the club to better fit the ballpark's specifications, the second season hammered the point home. In part because of the pitching-friendly dimensions of the outfield —— and in part because of a rash of injuries to key players —— the Padres again finished near the bottom of the league in runs per game (4.2) and home runs (130), ranking 13th out of 16 teams in both categories.

The team's pitching staff again reaped the benefit of Petco's roomy interior, posting a 4.13 ERA (seventh in the NL), including a stellar 3.49 figure by the relief corps. But playing good small ball also requires strong defense, and the Padres ranked 13th in that department with a .982 fielding percentage.

"It's not a great defensive club," Towers said. "It's not a club that has a lot of power. It's not a team that has a lot of speed. We need to kind of go one way or the other. To me, I think based on what our strengths are —— our bullpen and our pitching and what we have coming in our system —— we really need to look at speed and defense."

There is no rest for the weary in baseball. Three days after St. Louis eliminated the Padres in three games, Towers was back in his office on Tuesday, meeting with manager Bruce Bochy and the rest of the club's brain trust to discuss issues central to the Padres' chances of repeating as division champs in 2006.

Here's a sampling of questions that must be answered:

> Which potential free agents will return?

The Padres have a dozen in all, including one (utility man Eric Young) who can be brought back by picking up his ë06 option for less than $1 million.

Three of the 12 have been identified as priorities: closer Trevor Hoffman, right fielder Brian Giles and catcher Ramon Hernandez. Each of them will probably at least test the market, however, and none of them will come cheap.

Hoffman's agent, Rick Thurman, has said he will seek to make Hoffman the highest-paid closer in the game, which would put him above the $10.5 million annual salary earned by the New York Yankees' Mariano Rivera. How much of that is posturing is uncertain, but Hoffman, who turns 38 on Thursday, has said he would prefer to retire as a Padre.

The Padres' best hitter this season, Giles is perhaps the second-most-enticing outfielder available, after Boston's Johnny Damon. He will not lack for deep-pocketed suitors, with teams like Atlanta (where he could play with his younger brother, Marcus) and St. Louis as possible destinations.

The only elite catcher on the market, Hernandez could command a contract in the range of the four-year, $40 million deal signed by Boston's Jason Varitek last winter. Some consider it a fait accompli that he will sign with the New York Mets, who need a replacement for Mike Piazza.

"The first thing is having sit-down conversations with each of them and their agents to find out where they're at," Towers said. "The last thing I want to do is make an offer and have them use that as a floor to shop to other people."

> What are the Padres' contingency plans?

If Hoffman heads to greener pastures —— perish the thought —— the Padres believe they have an able in-house substitute in Scott Linebrink, who has been one of the league's most dominant relievers the past two seasons.

If Giles walks, look for the Padres to turn to prospect Ben Johnson or use the spare dollars on swift free-agent outfielders like Minnesota's Jacque Jones (a San Diego native) or Florida's Juan Encarnacion.

As for Hernandez, his loss might be covered by a combination of holdover Miguel Olivo and a veteran such as Houston's Brad Ausmus, a free agent who came up with the Padres in 1993 and maintains a home in San Diego.

> What will become of Ryan Klesko?

Towers said he informed Klesko's agent last month that the team would explore trade scenarios for the left fielder in the offseason. But Klesko has complete no-trade powers and has given no indication that he wants to leave his native Southern California. Towers could pursue a trade with the Angels, who are shopping for a designated hitter, if he's willing to eat much of Klesko's $10.5 million in guaranteed money.

The Padres haven't ruled out a return to first base for Klesko, but Towers has concerns about the 34-year-old being able to handle the physical demands of the position. He battled a sore neck throughout the season's second half.

"It's not that we're trying to ship him out of town," Towers said of Klesko, who hit only four of his team-high 18 home runs after the All-Star break.

"But I have to look into each and every way that I can to try to improve this club."

> Who can't be had in a trade?

There are really only three "untouchables" —— ace pitcher Jake Peavy, shortstop Khalil Greene and Linebrink.

The change within the organization even extends to the front office. Grady Fuson, a special assistant to Towers this season, has been given an expanded role that involves complete oversight of scouting and player development. As part of the reorganization, farm director Tye Waller will be reassigned to an unspecified position, although Bill Gayton will remain scouting director.

And Towers himself has been linked in published reports to Arizona's vacant GM position.

"It makes no sense for me to comment on any of that," said Towers, who's under contract with the Padres through 2007. "Until I hear differently from (owner) John (Moores) or (CEO) Sandy (Alderson), my focus is on the San Diego Padres in 2006."

Contact staff writer Brian Hiro at b_hiro@hotmail.com.