San Diego Padres AM Talk: Well, Yesterday Was Fun

San Diego Padres AM Talk: Thursday was a busy day across the league and the Padres made a move!

You wanted the San Diego Padres to make moves, well, ask and you shall receive. Reported yesterday by Fancred’s Jon Heyman, San Diego was able to ink starting pitcher Garrett Richards to a two-year deal. This after it was believed the Los Angeles Dodgers were in line to sign the former LA Angels Opening Day starter.

Jeff Passan of Yahoo Sports was first with the contract details, a two-year deal worth $15.5 million, potentially worth as much as $18 million. As many have pointed out, Richards earned a bit more than other pitchers who have been signed while out from Tommy John surgery, but with the Dodgers also being aggressive and his potential to slot in at the top of a rotation, the price tag was driven nearly twice as high as many projected.

Fans have more access than ever to advanced analytics, pitch movement, spin rates, graphs, charts, and just about anything else you can think of. But we don’t have access to all the data and reports on players. How much do you trust that AJ Preller and company saw enough to feel confident in this signing?

This move obviously doesn’t help anything in 2019, but it is a good move.

As I mentioned yesterday, Richards used his slider 39% of the time, his most used pitch in 2018. Opponents hit .144 against the slider and whiffed on 45% of them. Among all MLB pitchers with at least 100 batted balls against their slider, only seven other pitchers had a lower average against, with Cleveland Indians Trevor Bauer leading the way with a .100 BAA. He has the right stuff, now if he could just stay healthy.

This is a team that needs starting pitching. Richards has proven that when he is healthy he is a very good pitcher who can limit base runners and produce more than his fair share of strikeouts.

What if Richards can’t rebound from another major injury? The Padres move on and don’t take a big financial hit, pretty simple. But what if the Padres hit with this bet? The potential rewards outweigh the risks with this signing. Welcome to San Diego, Garrett Richards.

San Diego has not officially made the announcement and corresponding roster move. Expect that information to be released in the coming hours.

Friday morning Hot Stove report.

The Seattle Mariners and New York Mets are

working on a blockbuster deal

that is expected to be finalized at any moment.

Ken Rosenthal has reported

that the Mets will likely include top prospects

Jarred Kelenic

and

Justin Dunn

, along with

Jay Bruce

and more pieces in exchange for

Robinson Cano

and All-Star closer

Edwin Diaz

. As Anthony Dicomo points out in the above-linked article, the Mets have already informed their players to be involved that the trade is imminent. The New York Mets want to win now, otherwise why trade away two top prospects and take on a 36-year-old that is owed more than $100 million? It makes you wonder just how serious they are about moving

Noah Syndergaard.

More from Friars on Base

• Fernando Tatis Jr. may not take to outfield move after Xander Bogaerts addition
• Padres News: Fernando Tatis Jr. trade rumors, Seth Lugo chase, Manny Machado
• Padres barely missed out on high-end veteran starting pitcher
• This veteran DH target seems ideal for contending Padres roster
• Padres got steal with Xander Bogaerts after Carlos Correa’s mega-deal

Today should be one of the more exciting days of the offseason and provide more entertainment than all of last season. With the deadline to offer contracts to arbitration-eligible players set for later this afternoon and at least one blockbuster trade all but official, the hot stove should stay a blaze all day long.