The Missing Piece: Padres Consider $15M Hurler for…
The San Diego Padres have become known for making shockingly big moves recently as the team attempts to get over the hump against its National League competitors.
San Diego remains lurking in the background regarding several big-name free agents available this winter, as almost no move seems too gigantic for the organization with president of baseball operations A.J. Preller at the helm.
However, sometimes the biggest moves are not always the best, and the Padres could be well served by pulling from the mid-echelon level of free agents this offseason.
On that note, Matt Snyder of CBS Sports urges San Diego to consider Houston Astros starting pitcher Yusei Kikuchi.
Kikuchi has a market value of $14.9 million per year on the open market, according to Spotrac. He posted a 2.70 ERA with a 5-1 record and 76 strikeouts over ten late-season starts for Houston after the Astros acquired him from the Toronto Blue Jays in a deadline trade.
The 27-year old starter is coming off a three-year, $36 million contract and may not be a priority signing for the Astros, according to the Houston Chronicle.
He developed a reputation for being a talented, yet inconsistent pitcher over five-plus seasons of pitching in the American League with the Seattle Mariners and Blue Jays.
However, Kikuchi excelled in his first taste of pitching in the senior circuit.
After posting career ERAs of 4.97 with Seattle and 4.48 with Toronto, his sudden dominance with Houston was credited to doubling the use of his slider while almost completely ignoring his curveball.
Baseball Prospectus projects that the Padres are currently over the $241 million luxury tax threshold, making Kikuchi a fiscally sound move for the organization whether it seeks to keep building payroll or possibly deal away some of its larger contracts this winter.
