There are a select few words in baseball that are pretty offensive these days, carry a terribly negative connotation, and have a direct impact on a major league team.

The Padres have experienced some of those phrases, and their fans don't like them either. I'm not talking about that old-time baseball adage "Kill the Ump," or "You're outta here."

We know what the words are: Last place Padres. Low payroll Padres. Torn rotator cuff. Tommy John elbow surgery. Owners divorce.

Now we have to revisit a word we had forever hoped would be a thing of the past, especially with the move to Petco Park and the eternal hopes there would be lots of better days in the future, with teams with bigger payrolls:Fire sale.

You've got to be kidding me. In the world of a shiny new ballpark downtown, coming off a fabulous 90-win season of a summer ago, in the euphoria of a bright young pitching staff and a deep and often brilliant bullpen, we have to mention that word again.

The Padres have embarked on a 10-game road trip that will carry them to the All-Star break. A flickering light of hope still exists; they might climb back into the pennant race. On they go with this Seattle series, then on to San Francisco to face the hated Giants, and finish up with the bankrupt Dodgers, where Blue fans now hate owner Frank McCourt more than they do the Friars.

But as they leave, you wonder if everyone on the roster will return. Trade rumors are flying everywhere in baseball that the Padres will be a seller at the trading deadline, not a buyer, if they cannot pull themselves back into this pennant race. There's still time to be a player in the National League West, though they have to bag some wins on their road junket to complement their just completed 5-1 homestand. Of course recently, they've gone a respectable 10-11 on recent trips. There must be some hope.

There better be some hope, or we will be facing the dreaded word no one wants to hear: Fire sale.

Power hitting Ryan Ludwick, making nearly $7 million per year, has shrugged off a brutal April and is hitting laser shot homers and extra base hits. He is a soon-to-be free agent, and teams like the contending Phillies and Braves and the wannabe Cubs are all interested, even if it is just a three-month rental.

Heath Bell has saved 57 of 58 opportunities out of the bullpen. He too will be a free-agent come November, but has openly said he'd be interested in staying. The burning question is whether the Padres want to give a "north-of-30" reliever an $8 million extension. Bell has uttered the phrase "San Diego discount" too, but it has brought nothing more than a tepid response from owner Jeff Moorad and GM Jed Hoyer.

Ludwick said he'd be open to staying if an offer was made. Bell took it a step farther by saying he would too. The Padres have not made an offer yet to gauge what the real cost would be to keep the only power bat they own, and the bellwether of the bullpen.

Added to the intrigue is the respect out of town clubs have for their other reliever Mike Adams, drawing similar interest from outside. Of course the Padres own his rights this season and next, but a year from today, we could be dealing with Adams' impending free agency, and the same story would play out all over again.

They're not talking to their players, but they are talking to other clubs about their interests in the bat and the arm. They are looking at what kind of prospects might come this way, if the Padres fall out of the pennant race. They are looking at moving more veterans, getting younger, and stockpiling depth.

Great if you live in Tucson, San Antonio, Lake Elsinore or Ft. Wayne, if more good young minor leaguers wind up on their rosters. What does that do for the Petco Park product, and how are you going to sell minor league baseball at major league prices when you keep trading players away?

If Bell is moved, and Ludwick dealt, it would be the carbon copy of what has happened to the last two big names on the roster. Goodbye Adrian Gonzalez to Boston. See you in Chicago, Jake Peavy. You move this power hitting bat, the only one you really have, you will have a nickel-and-dime batting order. It would equal your nickel-and-dime payroll. You deal the live arm and the electric personality of your closer, and it makes you weaker.

It brings back the haunting memories of former owner Tom Werner, and the John Moores era. Do you remember names like Gary Sheffield, Fred McGriff, Kevin Brown, Robby Alomar and so many others? When does this ever end?

Yes, the Padres are pouring lots of money into the farm system. Just signed first-round pick Corey Spagenberg is hitting .436 in Eugene. Second year player Jed Gyrko is hitting .377 at Lake Elsinore. James Darnell is hitting .367 in San Antonio. Kyle Blanks, coming off elbow surgery, is batting a torrid .397 in Tucson. So there are players in the pipeline. But not enough, and not nearly enough to make up the roster here if you move Ludwick, Bell, or Adams.

Fire sale. It's an ugly phrase in the baseball dictionary. San Diego does not want to hear it again. We don't want small ball because of a small payroll.

Owner Jeff Moorad needs to pay heed to other words. "Sign the check." "Spend some money." "Stop trading players." The Padres need to listen to the outcry building in this town.

"Fire sale" may be followed by a new phrase to be linked to the Padres if they do these deals:El Cheapo.