Padres Rumors: Is a reunion with Trevor Rosenthal in the cards?

When you’ve come this far without showing any signs of slowing down, it seems pretty unlikely a front office is about to start being coy and thinking small.

The San Diego Padres have attacked the offseason with an uncharacteristic reckless abandon, trading for a pair of aces to front the rotation, bringing back key members of last year’s postseason team and even eyeing a massive extension for Fernando Tatis Jr. It then stands to reason that we shouldn’t sleep on the possibility of the team bringing back Trevor Rosenthal.

Trevor Rosenthal would add further depth to the Padres pitching staff

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Rosenthal, who’s still just 30 years old, rediscovered his former dominance with the Friars last year after coming over via trade from Kansas City. In the regular season, the right-hander made nine appearances spanning 10 innings and struck out 17, while walking just one. Oh, and he didn’t allow a single run to cross the plate, either.

Granted, he wasn’t as effective come October. But the Padres got a glimpse of just what Rosenthal could still bring to the table for a team that’s now built with a World Series-or-bust mentality.

Not counting the $1,000,000 buyout he got from Washington, he made just $100,000 last season. Why is that relevant? He’s not going to break the bank. On paper, at least, this seems like a no-brainer for both Rosenthal and the Padres. After all, coming off the shortened 60-game 2020 season, teams are going to need more pitching depth than ever this year.

What I love about how AJ Preller has gone about building the roster this winter is it’s been a solid mix of super high-profile deals (Yu Darvish and Blake Snell) with logical moves that simply make the team better (bringing back Jurickson Profar). And, honestly, I don’t think he’s done just yet.

Bringing back Rosenthal on a one-year deal, potentially with an option for 2022, sends a clear message to the players, fans and baseball at-large. “We’re in it to win it and we will stop at nothing to make sure we get that job done.”