by Ken Rosenthal

I can't wait to hear Padres CEO Jeff Moorad attempt to justify this decision at a news conference Saturday.

"Yes, we've turned around our season, going 36-24 since July 28. Yes, this is arguably Kevin's finest job in 14 years as GM. Yes, we might actually contend in 2010.

"But it is time for a change."

Oh, Towers should be relieved, all right, but not of his duties.

No, he should be relieved to be out of an organization in which he constantly faced ownership interference, payroll reductions and other forms of nonsense.

He is not about to complain; he was GM for 14 years in one of America's most beautiful cities — "No worries here," Towers said in an e-mail Friday night. "Part of this business."

He's right, of course. But this act is so tired.

New owner takes over. New owner puts his stamp on the club. New owner screws up.

I won't argue that the Padres' organization is in need of an overhaul; all of the competing factions need to be united or eliminated, once and for all.

Trading Jake Peavy freed up more than $50 million. (Stephen Dunn / Getty Images)

I won't even argue that Moorad's choice, whether it's Diamondbacks executive Jerry DiPoto or someone else, might make a fine GM

But again, I just want to hear Moorad lay out his "vision" for the franchise. I just want to hear why Towers deserved this.

Let's see, was it Towers' trade of right-hander Jake Peavy, which cleared more than $50 million in salary and brought four young pitchers into the organization?

Was it his selection of shortstop Everth Cabrera in the Rule 5 draft, a move that might have brought the Padres the next Rafael Furcal for $50,000?

How about Towers' trade of outfielder Scott Hairston for three young pitchers? His transformation of the Padres' outfield by acquiring Tony Gwynn Jr. and promoting Will Venable? All of those quality relievers he collected off the scrap heap, saving untold millions?

Who could tolerate such a GM?

The Padres, after trading Peavy and losing right-hander Chris Young and right fielder Brian Giles to injuries, are playing with less than $20 million of talent. Yet, with one or two shrewd offseason additions, they might be a surprise contender in '10, next year's Giants.

Towers wasn't perfect; no general manager is. He does not deserve special consideration because of his popularity with the media, fellow executives, everyone he meets. But his record included four division titles and a World Series appearance in 1998. And some of his missteps were the fault of others.

Ownership meddling resulted in the drafting of SS Matt Bush, a bust. (Ronald Martinez / Getty Images)

The classic example was the 2004 draft, when then-owner John Moores refused to allow his front office to draft a Scott Boras client, either shortstop Stephen Drew or right-hander Jered Weaver, with the No. 1 overall pick.

The Padres instead went with shortstop Matt Bush, who commanded a far lower signing bonus but proved to be a complete bust.

Towers frequently had to navigate a front office full of conflicting viewpoints, most recently from former club president Sandy Alderson to vice president Grady Fuson to special assistant Paul DePodesta. But the Padres' internal politics will be someone else's problem now.

Towers has one more year on his contract, and it is doubtful he will be out of work long. The Blue Jays' GM job is the only one that might open this offseason, but if Towers is patient, he will get another chance.

As for the Padres, Moorad undoubtedly will take credit once he reaps the benefit of Towers' foundation, but the baseball world will know better.

The baseball world knows that Kevin Towers did a pretty fair job.