The San Diego Padres have been no strangers to spending big-time money in free agency over the past few years.
If the Padres want a player, they’ll go to extreme lengths to attempt to acquire said player. It remains uncertain what the Padres will do during free agency this time around, but with an opportunity to win a World Series at the back end of this campaign, and hoping to improve for the future, they’ll likely still be aggressive.
The Padres could lose multiple of their top arms if they don’t keep Dylan Cease and Michael King around, too. If that’s the case, the Padres will have a massive hole in their rotation.
Padres could pursue polarizing pitcher
Searching for ways to potentially improve that, Jon Heyman of the New York Post linked them to a polarizing name in the form of Framber Valdez.
“The underrated lefty leads MLB in wins and innings per start since 2020. Red Sox, Giants, Rangers, Orioles, Tigers, Padres,” he wrote.
Many Houston Astros fans are getting fed up with what Valdez has done over the past few years.
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Valdez has an attitude to him at times, but there’s no debate that he’s one of the top left-handed starters in baseball, and likely the best arm on the market this winter.
However, according to Jeff Passan of ESPN, after intentionally, at least what it seemed like, crossing up his catcher last week, some believe his decision could impact Valdez.
“The incident Tuesday with catcher César Salazar — in which Valdez hit the rookie in the chest with a 93 mph sinker in what both later blamed miscommunication of the pitch called — did not go unnoticed by front offices. Multiple officials noted that when pitchers and catchers get crossed up, the pitcher typically looks at the catcher and expresses concern. As Salazar glared toward the mound, wondering what had happened, Valdez’s back was turned,” Passan wrote.
