There are still a handful of free agent starters who can make an impact (e.g Zac Gallen, Luke Giolito, Zack Littell, Canning griffin). However, San Diego appears to be operating under strict wage restrictions. That could point to a recovery candidate like Walker Buhler or German Marquez if they tackle that through free agency.
Dennis Lin of The Athletic suggests the Padres could be more inclined to add a starter via trade. That’s easier said than done at this stage of the calendar. All but a handful of teams enter the season with some hope of competing. Pitching injuries will pile up as exhibition games get underway and there will be fewer opportunities for those clubs to replenish the rotation if they trade a starter.
Speculatively, there could be a competition with the rebuilding Nationals for a cheap sixth starter Mitchell Parker or Jake Irvin – all of which have been durable, but pitched better in 2024 than they did a year ago. André Pallante falls into a similar category as the Cardinals. They aren’t particularly exciting, but have minor league options and a track record of taking a lot of innings.
The Royals have hit some of their depth starters as they look for help in the outfield. The Padres would be difficult to replace Ramon Laureano and are clearly not trading Fernando Tatis Jr. or Jackson Merrill. Unless the Royals want to take a flier Tirso Ornelasthat’s a tough match. The Mets had fun moving David Peterson And Kodai Senga this winter at times, but their salaries could be a problem for the Padres.
Teams are loathe to trade affordable pitchers who have the upside of being more than fifth or sixth starters. The Padres have plenty of star talent but don’t have a particularly deep Major League roster, making it difficult to trade for an average starter without dealing too big a blow to another area. The exception might be in the bullpen, where one of the Jeremiah Estrada, David Morgan or Bradgley Rodriguez would be attractive trade chips if the Padres thought they could survive a deduction.
As it stands now, San Diego will open the season with a top three of Nick Pivetta, Michael King And Joe Musgrove. Right-handed Randy Vasquez had a decent ERA of 3.84 last year, despite posting one of the lowest strikeout rates in the league (13.7%). Vásquez had a more impressive September, striking out 21% of opponents against a 3.4% walk rate in his last five appearances. Freshman skipper Craig Stammen pointed to the strong finish by noting that the 27-year-old righty had “the inside track” to a season-opening rotation spot this week (separate MLB.com link via Cassavell).
If the Padres add another starter, Vásquez would become the favorite to complete the lead group JP Sears, Kyle Hart and non-invited guests Mark Gonzales And Triston McKenzie. Vásquez is out of options, so he will be on the MLB roster in some capacity. Sears and Hart can be sent back to Triple-A for another year in free agency. Knuckleballer Matt Waldron is out of options, but is coming off a 6.48 ERA over 21 starts in Triple-A. He will face an uphill battle to maintain a roster spot even with a strong performance this spring.
While the Padres are also looking to replenish their bench with a new bat, it seems unlikely they will make a move at catcher. Preller said that while the front office explored the catching market this offseason, they did not find any opportunity that they considered an upgrade over the internal pairing of Freddy Fermin And Luis Campusano. “Ultimately, I think we looked at the value of the players we have behind the plate and as catchers, creating the best group possible,” Preller told reporters. “Look for another value in the additions of players in other positions.”
Fermin doesn’t have many attacking qualities, but is a highly rated defender. He will be the primary catcher. Campusano has defensive questions, but had a triple-A rating last year. The Padres didn’t seem to trust him defensively, keeping him in the minors as he burned out Elias Diaz And Martin Maldonado until they took over Fermin at the deadline. However, they opted not to trade Campusano this offseason, and are apparently content to carry him as their primary backup now that he is no longer optionable. They have no other catchers on the 40-man roster, nor have any minor league catchers in the organization played a single MLB game.
Preller also addressed his own contract status on Thursday. He is entering the final year of his contract and has not yet agreed on an extension. That will remain a question until an agreement is reached, although the longtime director downplayed any concerns.
“Anyway, I’m under contract,” he said Kevin Acee of the San Diego Union-Tribune and other members of the beat. “So it’s all about putting a team on the field that is going to win. We still have a lot of work to do when it comes to further rounding out the squad. That remains the focus.” Acee writes that it is still widely expected that a deal will be done — perhaps as soon as Monday’s report date for the team’s position players.
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