Germano named #5 starters for 2008 season

Well it looks like the voters of the poll knew what they were talking about on this one. Justin Germano was named the #5 starter going into the 2008 season. This likely means that Glendon Rusch is headed to the bullpen to assume long relief duties. Corey Brock breaks it down for us and has quotes from both Germano and Black on the subject.

Germano named Padres' fifth starter
Right-hander's
changeup the key to his spring success
By Corey Brock / MLB.com

"I thought he pitched very well this spring, he answered the
challenge of competing with a few other guys who were vying for that spot,"
Padres manager Black said. "We thought that some of the improvements he made in
his game showed and hopefully that they carry over to the regular season."

"It's weird, because I didn't really do anything different
with it," Germano said of his changeup. "It was kind of locked in. It turned out
to be a pretty big pitch for me this spring. It helped guys stay off my fastball
and, at times, made my fastball look a little harder. I think it's going to be a
big pitch for me in the long run."

My take on this is that he'll hold down the spot for roughly 2 months until Mark Prior is deemed ready to go, at that point its anyone's guess as to what happens to these guys. Germano has no options left, so it's either big league club or trade it seems.