The San Diego Padres’ pitching unit will look a lot different next season, whether it be in the rotation or bullpen. One underrated aspect of what the Padres could deal with next year is losing Robert Suarez, as their bullpen was obviously their biggest strength. Typically, if the Padres had leads going into the sixth or seventh inning, they would have won the game because of what guys like Suarez and Mason Miller were able to do on the mound.
It remains uncertain if they’d be willing to give Suarez the type of money he’s looking for, as there might be an argument that he’s going to get a lot more money than people think.
After Raisel Iglesias took a rather sizable deal with the Atlanta Braves, signing a one-year, $16 million contract, someone like Suarez probably deserves more. Perhaps for that reason and others, Will Laws of Sports Illustrated recently predicted he’d sign with the New York Yankees.
“Suarez turned in his second dominant season in a row as the Padres’ closer, posting a sub-3.00 ERA and FIP to go along with 40 saves in 70 appearances. He throws hard, and while it’s possible teams are concerned about him maintaining that velocity into his late 30s, Suarez has produced enough that he’ll be among the most sought-after closers on the market after Diaz,” he wrote.
The Padres can’t be too upset if they lose bullpen arms, as they’ve done a pretty good job of going out there and finding diamonds in the rough in terms of bullpen guys.
However, Suarez is also coming off a year where he led the National League in saves, so losing that obviously isn’t ideal.
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