Ryan Klesko has only five extra-base hits at home this season. Doug Benc/Getty Images

The Padres did not fret much about losing the Carlos Beltran sweepstakes.

Yes, they coveted Beltran's offensive arsenal and vast range in center field, a package perfectly tailored for roomy Petco Park. But San Diego wisely refused to give up Sean Burroughs, only 23 and already an established big league third baseman, for a rental player.

Having made what they considered an easy call, the Padres have moved on to acquiring another bat for their lineup. They won't find one as good as Beltran, but they'd be happy to turn up Steve Finley of Arizona. As a 10-and-5 player (at least 10 years of major league service, including the past five with his current club), Finley can veto any trade. But the former Padre keeps a home in the San Diego area and is coming to the end of his two-year, $11.25 million deal with the struggling Diamondbacks.

In any case, look for San Diego to upgrade its offense in the coming weeks. The Padres entered this week ranked 25th in runs scored and last in home runs. Privately, the team is surprised how big Petco Park plays and now understands there is too much ground to cover for outfielders like Ryan Klesko and Jay Payton to be longterm answer. The Padres would have a constructed an outfield similar to what Tampa Bay uses (Carl Crawford, Rocco Baldelli and Jose Cruz Jr.) if they knew how critical outfield defense would be in the new stadium.

As GM Kevin Towers said, "We haven't developed a homefield advantage yet, and hopefully that comes in the second half. We'd love for it to be like SBC Park is for the Giants."

The Padres have been outscored 144-125 in 37 home games, outhomered 26-19 and outhit (.260 to .240). Four of their starting players -- Burroughs, Klesko, Payton and shortstop Khalil Greene -- combined for one home run at Petco in 444 at-bats.

Other than a bat that figures to be added in a trade, Klesko is the key to whether San Diego becomes the 11th team in history to make the playoffs a year after losing 90 games. (It lost a league-high 98 last year.) Klesko has hit at least 21 home runs five years in a row, averaging 25 in that span. But he's gone deep only once this season -- making for only three in 271 at-bats since last year's All-Star break. (He underwent right shoulder surgery last Sept. 5 and missed 16 games in May and June while on the disabled list with a ribcage injury.) Klesko hasn't even exhibited gap power. He hit only four doubles, for instance, in the team's first 37 home games.

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"We need Klesko," Towers said. "[Brian] Giles, [Mark] Loretta and Burroughs are on base all the time. We need [Phil] Nevin and Klesko to just have their normal years and we'll be OK. The big guys in the middle of the order are key."

San Diego's original blueprint had the Padres taking a competitive step forward this season and then contending in 2005. That changed over what was an uninspiring winter for NL West rivals.

"We felt we had a chance to compete based on the rest of the division," Towers said. "A lot of teams were paring payroll. The Dodgers were in flux because of their ownership situation and were a rudderless ship for a while. Originally we planned on going after it in 2005. But then we saw, 'This is the year.' We figured we had as a good a chance as anybody in the division.

"You look at the National League and I don't think anyone's over $100 million [in payroll]. In the NL West everybody is between $60 and $90 million. We've got a chance."

Yankees pass on Beltran -- for now

The Yankees turned down an opportunity to get Beltran because they refused to part with setup man Tom Gordon.

Oakland had approached New York about a three-way deal with Kansas City that was similar to the eventual trade consummated with Houston. The Astros were willing to give up closer Octavio Dotel. But when the Athletics had asked the Yankees for Gordon, the conversations went dead.

"He's too important to us," a Yankee source said. "We couldn't do that."

The Yankees can always go after Beltran as a free agent this winter, when all it will cost them is something near $100 million.

Give credit to Kansas City GM Allard Baird and his Seattle counterpart, Bill Bavasi, who traded pitcher Freddy Garcia to the White Sox, by being proactive. Both GMs could have waited until the July 31 deadline in hopes that a club might panic and overpay, but they smartly realized that rental players such as Beltran and Garcia (who may have interest in re-signing with Chicago) have more value to a club for half the season than for two months. Both teams cleared significant payroll and obtained good, near-major-league ready young talent.

Sports Illustrated senior writer Tom Verducci covers baseball for the magazine and is a regular contributor to SI.com.