San Diego Padres: Should the Padres Look Elsewhere for Pitching Help?

Most would agree that the San Diego Padres could use an extra arm or two to solidify their pitching staff. The question is, would they pick up other team’s cuts in an attempt to do so?

Last season, San Diego Padres reliever Brad Hand appeared in 82 games and finished with an impressive 2.92 ERA. Despite a disappointing year, Padres fans remember Hand’s efforts which arguably saved an otherwise rocky bullpen.

What they may not remember, however, is that Hand wasn’t even on the roster entering spring training.

The 27-year-old southpaw was claimed off waivers from the Miami Marlins just before the 2016 season opened. The reliever then went on to lead baseball in appearances and be the most valuable Padre pitcher according to most.

Evidently, the waiver wire isn’t such a ridiculous idea. And now, with the season just hours away from opening, the Padres have one area at which they could really improve, and that is pitching.

San Diego would have to dig deep in order to find what they are looking for, but another left-handed reliever sure wouldn’t hurt. The team has a solid back end of the bullpen with Hand, Carter Capps, and closer Brandon Maurer, but could use middle inning depth.

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Solidifying this area would not only strengthen the pitching staff during the sixth and seventh innings, it would also alleviate pressure from a rotation which is still uncertain. If the starters don’t feel that they need to go seven innings each night, they will be more likely to put forth solid and efficient outings.

It’s a little late at this point to be discussing roster transactions such as these, but it is worth noting that thumbing through the rest of baseball’s rejects is still an option. It worked for the club last season, and the ramifications of it working again could be season changing.

Next: Two Surprises as Rotation is Set

Sometimes, one man’s trash is another man’s treasure. San Diego found this out last season when they acquired Hand at the very last minute. Now, as time is running out, there is really only one option to make roster additions. Still, the Padres shouldn’t rule this out, and shouldn’t belittle the possible results of making acquisitions such as these.