What type of a splash are the San Diego Padres’ new owners willing to make in their first offseason shopping spree?
Looks like a big splash, if you take the early reporting by MLB Network’s Jon Morosi seriously.
Morosi on Monday, after stating the very obvious to begin the day, “The Padres are among the most active teams in the free agent starter market,” he wrote on social media, then followed that up six hours later by saying, “To be more specific: The Padres, under new ownership, already have expressed interest in Tarik Skubal.”
New owners Jose E. Feliciano and Kwanza Jones, who officially took over the Padres late in the season, have said they will be “all-in” regarding bringing the Friars the franchise’s first championship. Pursuing Skubal certainly would be a tremendous first step.
Skubal won the previous two AL Cy Young Awards with the Detroit Tigers and was dealt at the trade deadline to the Los Angeles Dodgers, who were trying to secure a third World Series championship, a bid that fell short.
The left-handed starter is the best player on the free-agent market, so the bidding will be fierce. Signing Skubal could set the tone for adding further top starters to the rotation. As it stands, the only realistic options to start are right-handers Joe Musgrove, yet to make a start after having Tommy John surgery two years ago, and Randy Vasquez. Left-hander JP Sears would be another option entering spring training.