Padres: 3 free agent pitching targets not named Stephen Strasburg

Dallas Keuchel

More from Friars on Base

• Padres fighting with hated rival to sign quality veteran relief pitcher
• Jurickson Profar free agency update likely rules out Padres reunion
• 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

Remember when I said after Strasburg and Cole there is a big drop off … well, here is the drop-off.

But for many reasons, I think Dallas Keuchel could be a great fit in San Diego.

For one, the cost of Keuchel is much more reasonable as MLBTR predicts he’ll get a three-year deal for $39 million, but I kind of doubt he’ll get a three-year deal.

Second, he’s a guy that takes the ball every fifth day and is very reliable. While he’s not the Cy Young candidate that he was when he won it in 2015, he gives you a great effort and keeps your team in the game every time he takes the mound.

And third, and most importantly, he’s a groundball pitcher that has a tendency to get hurt by the home run ball.

I know those two don’t add up, but Keuchel had a 60 percent groundball rate while giving up 16 home runs in just 112.2 innings in 2019.

But if you put him in spacious Petco Park those home run numbers could go down, and with the infield defense the Padres have, he could see a nice boost in ERA.

Keuchel won’t be the household name everyone is looking for, but he could be a steady force atop the rotation and could benefit from pitching in Petco Park with the Padres defense behind him.

Those are the three free agent pitchers not named Stephen Strasburg that make the most sense for the Padres. Let me know what you think in the comments below.