3 moves the Padres must make after whiffing on Trea Turner

2. Sign Chris Bassitt to anchor starting rotation

The Padres have major questions in their starting rotation beyond 2023. Both Yu Darvish and Blake Snell are out of a contract after next season, leaving Joe Musgrove as the only high-end starter signed through 2024.

Signing Chris Bassitt to a multi-year deal would go a long way towards alleviating those concerns. Of course, the Padres could simply extend Darvish and, or Snell, but the rotation has holes for 2023 behind Darvish, Snell and Musgrove.

While Nick Martinez could start the year in the rotation, San Diego would be smart to start the campaign with a six-man rotation. They deployed a six-man rotation for the first half of 2022, and the results were overwhelmingly positive.

That’s where Bassitt comes in. Mike Puma of the New York Post understands the veteran innings-eater is seeking a contract longer than three years. The Padres shouldn’t balk at acquiescing to those demands, as Bassitt has pitched to a 3.32 ERA, 1.13 WHIP and 8.6 strikes per nine innings in 93 starts since 2019. That stretch includes two top-10 finishes in CY Young voting and an impressive 2.51 BB/9.

Pitching spearheaded the Padres’ run to the NLCS in 2022, and adding Bassitt to complement Darvish, Snell, Musgrove, and the versatile Martinez would give Bob Melvin one of the deepest rotations in the game.