two blurbs from a larger athletic article
Padres still on the prowl
Even after trading for left-hander Blake Snell and righty Yu Darvish, the Padres are doing background work on multiple free-agent starting pitchers, sources say. One of those pitchers, righty Masahiro Tanaka, has connections to two significant members of the organization – Darvish and pitching coach Larry Rothschild.
Darvish and Tanaka are friends and Rothschild was Tanaka’s pitching coach with the Yankees from 2014 to ’19. |
The Padres’ interest in Tanaka and other starters might reflect continuing concern over righty Dinelson Lamet, who did not pitch in the postseason due to biceps tendinitis. Rival executives, meanwhile, express surprise the team is willing to ponder additional expenditures, including a monster extension for shortstop Fernando Tatis Jr. The Padres play in the league’s fourth-smallest media market, and their luxury-tax payroll of $165.2 million is within $45 million of the first threshold. |
at least one team is spending money to try to win.
No, he said he's open to returning to Japan, but isn't limiting his options at this point.
What the hell does this have to do with Tanaka? Your obsession with Cashman is freaking creepy. He’s in your head. You think about him 24/7. Did he bang your girl?
LeMahieu is the guy they must retain. I would like to see Michael Brantley brought in as well. Perfect contact guy come October to go with the sluggers.
Do not like the SP staff and think the BP is weak.
Hope the young guys can improve but IMV Cole, Montgomery and German will be ok. Garcia may be fine but his lack of innings is concerning and Schmidt had his head handed to him every time he pitched last year. Nelson did look better than Schmidt.
People poo-poo Cessa, but he has been as reliable a long relief pitcher as can reasonably expected. I never liked Ottavino. When he throws strikes he is fine, but he rarely does so. He has a VG fastball and uses it to infrequently loving that slider way too much.
I would also like to see them rotate Chapman, Britton and Green as closer. I also think Green maybe the best guy to close. Rarely walks people and goes right at them. In fact, while I love Chapman, I think he is decidedly the least reliable of the big three. But I have strange POVs.
Agree on Nelson. He does well two maybe three innings. I worry on Schmidt because we were told how well he was pitching in the Minors and just got hammered in MLB. It is about time some of these pitchers in the system started producing.