Still miss ex-Twins middle infielders Orlando Hudson and Jason Bartlett? Hudson was released by the Padres on Thursday and Bartlett has a knee injury plus an uncertain future.

San Diego was Hudson's fourth team in four seasons when the Padres signed him to a two-year deal after he played 126 games for the Twins in 2010; Bartlett was part of the Delmon Young trade with Tampa Bay that is primarily remembered for letting starting pitcher Matt Garza, now with the Cubs, get away.

The Padres, who have the second-worst record in baseball (just ahead of the Twins), have decided to go young in the middle infield -- and their general manager has indicated that, even when healthy, Bartlett isn't likely to have a grand future with them.

Some day, someone will go deep on why Hudson, batting only .211 for the Padres this season, was never able to find a good home in the second half of his career despite collecting four Gold Gloves and making two All-Star teams. The phrase "wearing out your welcome" comes to mind.

In the San Diego Union-Tribune, reporter Bill Center wrote: "In addition to his offense, Hudson's range in the field had also deteriorated and he was not the most popular player in the clubhouse. Hudson was routinely the first player out the door after games."

On Bartlett, whom the Twins thought never asserted himself as a leader in the infield, Center wrote: "Bartlett was hitting .133 this season with 27 strikeouts in 83 at-bats. He had made six errors in 26 starts at short. Bartlett's knees have been bothering the shortstop since spring training, when surgery was considered, and he had appeared in only 14 of the club's last 24 games at short. He was in a 3-for-40 drought and had struck out at least once (11 times total) in his last eight games."

By those standards, Tsuyoshi Nishioka looks... (No, no, no. Not going there.)

Hudson is already getting the Brandon Inge post-Tigers treatment in a San Francisco Giants blog, Giants Nirvana, where it is suggested that Hudson could be that team's "second-base solution."

Maybe Bret Boone is available.