T.R. Sullivan of MLB.com reports that the Rangers are among the teams interested in Brad Hawpe.

The Rangers are considering him as depth at first base if Mitch Moreland has any setbacks from right wrist surgery. Hawpe, who is coming back from Tommy John surgery last August, batted .231/.301/.344 with four home runs, 19 RBI and a .645 over 216 plate appearances with the Padres in 2011. A minor league deal should get it done.

Jesse Sanchez of MLB.com reports that Brad Hawpe is close to agreeing to a minor league deal with a spring training invite.

No word on where he may sign, but Sanchez hears that three teams have expressed interest. Hawpe, 32, batted .231/.301/.344 with four home runs, 19 RBI and a .645 over 216 plate appearances with the Padres last season before undergoing Tommy John surgery in August. However, he is said to be healthy and ready to compete for a spot on a big-league roster.

Padres declined 1B-OF Brad Hawpe's $6 million option for 2012.

No surprise there. Hawpe batted only .231/.301/.344 over 195 at-bats for the Pads in 2011 and underwent Tommy John surgery on his left elbow in August. He'll almost surely have to settle for a minor league deal from someone.

Padres GM Jed Hoyer revealed on The Darren Smith Show Thursday that the team will decline Brad Hawpe's $6 million option for 2012.

No surprise there. Hawpe batted only .231/.301/.344 over 195 at-bats for the Pads in 2011 and underwent Tommy John surgery on his left elbow in August. He could be healthy enough for spring training, but Hawpe will have to settle for a minor league deal from someone.

Padres transferred 1B-OF Brad Hawpe from the 15-day to the 60-day disabled list.

He was cleared to make room for James Darnell on the active roster. Hawpe is out for the rest of the season after undergoing Tommy John surgery on his left elbow last week.

Brad Hawpe is done for the season after undergoing Tommy John surgery on his left elbow.

Hawpe was placed on the disabled list in June with a strained right middle finger, but his elbow has been the bigger issue. While position players can make their way back from Tommy John surgery more quickly than pitchers, the 32-year-old is still a big question mark for the early part of 2012. Hawpe's contract includes a $6 million mutual option for 2012, but the Padres will almost certainly pay the $1 million buyout, instead.

Padres placed OF Brad Hawpe on the 15-day disabled list with left elbow inflammation.

Hawpe has been battling the elbow soreness since last week and will finally get the rest he needs. The 31-year-old has a rough .645 OPS in 62 games this year.

Brad Hawpe returned to action on Saturday June 18.

Brad Hawpe (elbow) too batting practice Friday without any issues and should be ready to serve as the designated hitter Saturday.

Hawpe has missed nearly a week due to a sore elbow. He's probably not available to play the field yet, but, luckily for him, he has the option of sliding into the DH role this weekend.

Brad Hawpe is currently unavailable to play the outfield due to an elbow injury.

Hawpe injured the elbow during a throw in Sunday's game and had to be removed. The Padres plan to use him as a DH in the upcoming interleague series with the Twins and Red Sox. They're hoping he'll be ready to resume outfield duties after that. He'll be limited to pinch-hitting duty Tuesday and Wednesday.

Brad Hawpe will start in right field Monday for the first time this season.

If you needed any further indication that Anthony Rizzo isn't long for the minor leagues, well, here you go. Hawpe is generally regarded as one of the worst fielding outfielders in baseball, but the Padres appear comfortable taking the hit if it means they can bring the kid up to the big leagues. Hawpe could be trade bait before long, anyway.

Brad Hawpe homered for the second straight day on Wednesday, tagging Chris Carpenter for a solo shot in the second inning of San Diego's 3-1 win over the Cardinals.

Hawpe has now doubled his season home run total from two to four in the past two days. Still hitting just .241 on the year, he has been much better in May, clubbing all four of his home runs while batting .324.

Brad Hawpe homered to give the Padres their only two runs in 11 innings Tuesday against the Cardinals.

Hawpe hasn't really maintained his early May surge, but after a few hitless games last week, he has rebounded a bit with two doubles and the homer in his last three games. He needs to do more to guarantee that the Padres won't promote Anthony Rizzo next month.

Brad Hawpe slugged a go-ahead two-run homer in a 9-7 win over the Rockies on Saturday.

Well, that has to feel good. Hawpe finished the day 3-for-5 with three runs scored against his former teammates. His first month as a Padre was a forgettable one, but Hawpe is batting .389 (14-for-36) with two homers, three doubles and eight RBI this month. He might be worth a look in deeper mixed leagues right now.

Brad Hawpe is batting .323 (10-for-31) over his past eight games.

It's about time. Hawpe was batting .098 on April 24, but has hit safely in seven out of his last eight games, including his first home run of the season on Wednesday. He'll have to show a lot more before returning to relevancy in mixed leagues, but he should be owned in NL-only leagues.

Brad Hawpe (six games) and Jorge Cantu (five games) both had their hitting streaks snapped for the Padres on Tuesday.

Chase Headley, on the other hand, managed a single in his lone at-bat off the bench. The Padres have been using Hawpe and Cantu at the corners lately since they have the hot hands, but they're a better defensive team when they have Headley at third base. Perhaps Hawpe or Cantu will sit Wednesday.

Brad Hawpe broke out with two hits and two RBI in Sunday's win over the Dodgers.

Hawpe had an awful start to the year, losing at-bats to Jorge Cantu. But he now has a five-game hitting streak going and appears to be settling in with the Padres. NL-only owners should have an eye on Hawpe, who did hit 22 or more homers in four straight years between 2006 and 2009. Hawpe won't turn 32-years-old until June.

Brad Hawpe went 0-for-5 with three strikeouts and committed an error that led to the Cubs' only run in regulation during the first game of Wednesday's doubleheader.

It doesn't get much worse than that. Hawpe is currently hitting .122 with two RBI in 42 at-bats. The Padres are already sitting him against lefties. If this keeps up, they might put Jorge Cantu at first base against righties, too.

Brad Hawpe has been dropped to the seventh spot in Wednesday's lineup against the Cubs.

Hawpe has been a major disappointment so far this season, batting just .135 with 15 strikeouts over his first 37 at-bats. He was similarly awful with the Rays down the stretch last season, so don't rely on him as a fantasy option until he begins to turn things around.

Brad Hawpe hit his second home run of the spring on Sunday, taking an otherwise very good Erik Bedard deep in the second inning.

Hawpe is now batting .300 this spring after hitting .245 in 298 at-bats a season ago. He figures to lose a lot of his power in his first full season away from the hitter-friendly confines of Coors Field, but is actually a career .273 hitter on the road. He could prove to be a sneaky fantasy option in deeper mixed leagues.