This offseason, the San Diego Padres could enrich themselves by making their main opponent poorer.
The Padres could sign RHP Walker Buehler in free agency.
ESPN’s Jeff Passan recommended the Padres to pursue reigning World Series winner Walker Buehler of the Los Angeles Dodgers in free agency (via Jackson Roberts of The Sporting News):
“With a payroll around $200 million already, the Padres won’t have much room to add to a roster that is deep in talent,” Passan pointed out. “They’re also deep in tough-to-move contracts, which boxes them in when exceeding the CBT threshold is probably not in the cards.”
“Getting (Roki) Sasaki would alleviate a potential salary crunch, but if that doesn’t happen, and they can’t agree on a big-name trade, there are enough choices in free agency to fully fill out the rotation. One of them, in fact, would only need to go 120 miles down the 5.
In the 2024 playoffs, Buehler delivered on his reputation as a game-changer.
Buehler had a disappointing 2024 regular season campaign. He finished 1-6 with a career-low 5.38 ERA and 1.553 WHIP for the Dodgers. However, in the playoffs, the Kentucky native shone with outstanding outings in Los Angeles’ National League Championship Series against the New York Mets and a decisive Game 3 of the World Series against the New York Yankees.
After returning to glory with two big games to his resume of clutch postseason outings, the Padres may cement the championship culture they are attempting to establish in San Diego by facing Buehler. He last signed a one-year, $8.02 million contract with the Dodgers in 2024. As a result, the Padres may potentially sign him for less than $8 million this winter.
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