Padres Predicted to Sign Veteran Starting Pitcher on One-Year Deal
While the San Diego Padres are unlikely to re-sign reigning National League Cy Young winner Blake Snell this offseason, the starting rotation still needs help.
Joel Reuter of Bleacher Report has an idea, as he has the Padres signing former Boston Red Sox left-handed pitcher James Paxton on a one-year deal worth $10 million.
After having Tommy John surgery in 2022, Paxton had a decent bounce-back year with the Red Sox, starting in 19 games and throwing 96 innings. Paxton finished with a 7-5 record and a 4.50 ERA while striking out 101 batters.
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If the Padres can sign Paxton, they would be adding depth to a starting rotation that will be led by Yu Darvish, and will also feature Joe Musgrove and potentially Michael King, Matt Waldron or Pedro Avila.
While Avila had a 3.22 ERA for the Padres last year, the reality is, he spent most of last year as a reliever and might be better off in that role as San Diego’s bullpen continues to be one of its biggest weaknesses heading into next season.
Waldron appeared in just eight games last year for the Padres and started in six, finishing with a 4.35 ERA and striking out 31 batters.
The Padres’ farm system has plenty of starting pitching talent like Dylan Lesko and Robby Snelling. Unfortunately, the likelihood of them being ready to pitch in 2024 is low, meaning the Padres will need to sign at least one veteran starting pitcher before the 2024 season begins — but two wouldn’t hurt.
