The San Diego Padres took the MLB community by surprised when they won the Manny Machado sweepstakes last winter, but they will not shock anyone this time around.
With San Diego looking to compete next season, the Padres are planning on pursuing Washington Nationals right-hander Stephen Strasburg in free agency.
Strasburg opted out of the remaining four years of his deal on Saturday, and Kevin Acee of the San Diego Union-Tribune reports that the Padres intend to sign the hometown guy:
Whether the Padres land one of the prized starting pitchers or simply add a bat, multiple people in the organization indicated over the past few days that the team will be in position to make a run at Stephen Strasburg, the World Series MVP who on Saturday opted out of his contract with the Nationals.
The 31-year-old was born in San Diego and also attended San Diego State University prior to being drafted No. 1 overall by the Nationals in the 2009 MLB June Amateur Draft. His parents also still reside in San Diego, and the Padres seem to have enough room on payroll to get a deal done.
Strasburg and Gerrit Cole will dominate the market. Cole is rumored to be pursuing a record-breaking contract, but Strasburg (also a Scott Boras client) should also receive a massive payday.
The Padres certainly need offensive help. However, adding Strasburg to the rotation would give them a frontline starter to complement Chris Paddack. It would also allow youngsters like MacKenzie Gore or Luis Patino to get more seasoning in the minor leagues.
Regardless, the “coming home” storyline is impossible to ignore, and the Padres and general manager A.J. Preller are gearing up to make that dream a reality.
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