The Padres are willing to let Dave Roberts walk:

The Padres yesterday told the agent for Dave Roberts what has been apparent for several months: The club's No. 1 priority of the offseason is to acquire a power hitter, even if it means losing Roberts to free agency as a result.

General Manager Kevin Towers said he told agent John Boggs that retaining Roberts, the team's primary leadoff hitter and left fielder the past two years, is less important than getting a power hitter. If the power hitter is a corner outfielder, he likely will supplant Roberts, 34, who hasn't received a contractual offer for 2007 from the Padres.

"The No. 1 priority for us is getting a middle-of-the-order bat," Towers said after talking with Boggs. "We need to go out and exhaust all the options to try to do that."

Said Boggs: "If the priority for the Padres is a power bat and you are Dave Roberts, OK, fine, you can't do anything about it. We can't force the issue with the Padres."

Towers said the acquisition of a slugging infielder would make him more likely to pursue Roberts, but he said the timing could be difficult. The GM has said that right fielder Brian Giles, the team's main No. 3 hitter last year, could succeed Roberts as the leadoff man. Another candidate would be second baseman Josh Barfield.

It makes perfect sense. Roberts 2007 seasonal age will be 35, and while he's played well the last two years, his career numbers are just not that impressive. The money is much better spent on someone with more power, and possibly a better OBA.