If the San Diego Padres have any hope of pulling a major upset over the Los Angeles Dodgers in the National League West, they’re going to need to find some unexpected contributors.

The talent gap has never seemed larger between the Dodgers and Padres in the years since San Diego became a consistent playoff contender. While the Dodgers have added to their riches with the acquisitions of Edwin Díaz and Kyle Tucker, the only significant Padres move thus far was bringing back starter Michael King.

San Diego’s biggest question mark is arguably pitching depth, with Nick Pivetta as the only quality starter who had a full, healthy season, and the need to replace Robert Suarez’s impact in the bullpen. There’s no telling which unproven arms might help fill the void throughout the season, but one more newcomer appears to be entering the mix.

According to a Saturday report from MadFriars, an outlet that focuses on Padres prospect news, San Diego recently signed free-agent right-handed pitcher Michael Flynn to a minor-league contract. The 29-year-old, who has yet to debut in the majors, finished last season in the Tampa Bay Rays organization.

Flynn’s official roster page did not yet reflect the transaction as of Sunday morning. But assuming he does indeed join the Padres for spring training, he’ll be an intriguing to watch for one key reason.

Strikeouts are king in the sport of baseball these days, and Flynn, in small minor league sample sizes, has racked them up. In 2022 with the Seattle Mariners organization, he punched out 38 batters in 22 innings. He had 32 in 24 innings at the Double-A level over the next three years, and 69 in his 58 1/3 innings at Triple-A.

After leaving the Mariners in free agency to join the Los Angeles Dodgers organization, Flynn built up his prospect stock enough to be traded for major league utility man Amed Rosario in a one-for-one swap with the Tampa Bay Rays at the 2024 deadline.

A former Pittsburgh Pirates sixth-round pick, Flynn has had a roundabout journey to get to the doorstep of the majors. But perhaps San Diego will be the destination where the stars align to get him to a big-league mound.

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