It’s very difficult to get a feel for what the San Diego Padres might do during the offseason. On the surface, the team frankly isn’t as good as it should be, especially if the Padres lose Michael King and Dylan Cease.
King, despite some injuries, and Cease, not throwing the ball at the level he was expected to last year, are typically two of the better right-handers in baseball.
If the Padres plan to go all in once again, it will likely have to start with them adding a few pitchers. However, according to Kiley McDaniel of ESPN, another way of doing so could be going out and landing Kazuma Okamoto, who he believes is a real option for San Diego.
“Okamoto could prove to be a cost-effective alternative to Pete Alonso (who projects for low nine figures) and can point to Yoshida’s $90 million deal as a comp. The Mets, Astros, Yankees, Pirates, Marlins, San Diego Padres, Philadelphia Phillies and Arizona Diamondbacks all seem to be in on the first base/designated hitter market to various degrees — and could be looking for a cheaper option than signing Alonso, Kyle Schwarber or Murakami, where Okamoto is the fallback option,” he wrote.
Just because the Padres need pitching help doesn’t mean they can’t also go out and add a few bats.
Okamoto has shown that he has legitimate power in his right-handed bat throughout his time in the NPB, so he’d be an intriguing option, to say the least.
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