The San Diego Padres have indicated that they are ready to go all-in with this core led by Fernando Tatis Jr. as they added Juan Soto from the Washington Nationals in exchange for a plethora of prospects. Even if it does not guarantee that Soto will sign a long-term extension, San Diego was willing to take the calculated risk because they will have two opportunities to win the World Series with this nucleus.
Problems started to persist once again as Tatis Jr. incurred an 80-game suspension because he tested positive for a banned substance in the MLB. Thus, he missed the whole 2022 season, but it did not seem to matter much because the Padres advanced as far as the NLCS. Even if that was a deep postseason run, the San Diego fanbase will continue to wonder if they could have battled with the Houston Astros in the World Series if Fernando Tatis Jr. was playing last season.
With the emergence of their middle infielders like Ha-Seong Kim and Jake Cronenworth along with the signings of Xander Bogaerts and Matt Carpenter in the offseason, the depth of San Diego at those positions is a bit too much. Conversely, it shows the weakness they have on the backend of their rotation as they lost Mike Clevinger and Sean Manaea in free agency, so they can seriously inquire about someone like Pablo Lopez.
Padres trade for Pablo Lopez
As one of the best younger ace pitchers in the league, Pablo Lopez has been a hot commodity in the trade market for a couple of seasons already. He has been linked to large markets like the New York Yankees or Los Angeles Dodgers, but the asking price seems to be a bit too much for their liking. Per The Athletic’s Dennis Lin, Lopez has been linked to the Padres in the offseason, but there seems to be no concrete offer yet to the Marlins.
For San Diego’s side, Kim and Trent Grisham have been in the rumor mill the past couple of days, but the growing concern is Miami’s interest in these two individuals. Grisham showcased immense potential in the shortened 2020 campaign, but he has since struggled offensively in 2021 and 2022. He is still one of the best defensive outfielders in the league, and he can pique some interest. The more viable option is Han-Seong Kim because he exploded last year when Tatis Jr. was missing in action.
Grisham and Kim are projected to raise their numbers for 2023, but Pablo Lopez is the one integral piece for a World Series run in San Diego. Yu Darvish, Blake Snell, and Joe Musgrove are arguably one of the best trios in the National League pitching staff, but the rotation is bleak after those three. Seth Lugo and Nick Martinez can be selected as the fourth or fifth starters respectively, but these two players are known as relievers who may have a tougher time adjusting as starters in a high-leverage situation in San Diego.
AJ Preller and the Padres have limited options with starting pitching because most free agents have already been signed. Pablo Lopez has a respectable 3.47 ERA in 63 starts over the last three seasons. There was even a juncture last year when Lopez’s ERA was below 3, so that seems to be more consistent if he moves to the team that has an offensive powerhouse.
It seems to be one-sided for now, but the Marlins might bite if the Padres can include prospects or even a more skilled player like Jake Cronenworth.
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