1 move every NL West team could make that would hurt the San Diego Padres

The San Francisco Giants signing Yoshinobu Yamamoto would hurt the San Diego Padres

The Giants are a team ready to spend big after a disappointing regular season and a disappointing 2022 offseason. The Giants were extremely close to landing Aaron Judge and Carlos Correa at separate times last offseason only to land neither. The team needs a new face of the franchise and has boatloads of money to spend.

Their top target is Shohei Ohtani, but it doesn't feel like they're among the favorites to land him. They can, however, land fellow Japanese pitcher Yoshinobu Yamamoto.

By landing Yamamoto, the Giants would have one of the best frontlines to a rotation in baseball right now with Logan Webb pitching alongside him. They can definitely use a bat, but passing on a 25-year-old ace isn't something San Francisco will likely do.

By pairing the 25-year-old Yamamoto with 27-year-old Logan Webb at the top of the rotation, the Giants aren't only set up to win with that pitching right now, but they can win for a long time. As hard as it'd be to see them land a guy like Cody Bellinger coming off such a good season, putting him in that ballpark might be more appealing than watching Yamamoto dominate in a Giants uniform for the next seven or eight years.

It feels like the Giants will land some sort of star with how aggressive it seems that they're going to be financially. Just don't let it be Yamamoto.

The Arizona Diamondbacks signing Matt Chapman would hurt the San Diego Padres

The Arizona Diamondbacks are a team that just won the NL Pennant and can get a whole lot better this offseason. They have two gigantic areas of need. One, they could use another starter to avoid having to resort to a bullpen game in key postseason games. Two, they could really use a third baseman.

Arizona third basemen ranked 29th in the majors with just 10 home runs all of last season, and tied for 26th in the majors with a 75 WRC+. Those figures, obviously, must be improved. Evan Longoria is now a free agent, and a guy like Emmanuel Rivera doesn't feel like the solution.

Arizona could put top prospect Jordan Lawlar at short and shift Geraldo Perdomo to third base, but they realistlcally should look for a big upgrade. Matt Chapman can be a frustrating player at times, but he'd be that big upgrade.

Chapman might strikeout a ton and hit for a low average, but he does two things extremely well. One, he can hit for plenty of power. The Diamondbacks were 22nd in the majors in home runs last season, so adding the 25-30 Chapman would provide would be awesome. Chapman is also an elite defender. They'd be upgrading in a major way on that side of the ball.

Chapman being the best infielder in this weak free agency class could mean Arizona is priced out, but if they do somehow land him, that'd be bad news for the Padres.

The Los Angeles Dodgers signing Shohei Ohtani would hurt the San Diego Padres

It's been rumored all year long and feels like it's only a matter of time before it'll happen. We hear random rumors about certain teams joining the Dodgers in the pursuit of Shohei Ohtani, but Los Angeles is the one constant in the Ohtani chase. There's every reason to believe Ohtani to the Dodgers will be happening.

The Dodgers might not have won anything in a 162-game season in a very long time, but they're still consistently in the playoffs. Additionally, they provide Ohtani the location he reportedly prefers, as well as the ability to make as much as possible financially. The Dodgers have been saving up to make this happen, and Ohtani could be the piece that puts them over the top.

The Padres would catch a bit of a break with Ohtani not being able to pitch in 2024, but his bat alone can do some serious damage. He was one of, if not the best hitter in baseball this past season and will seemingly only be better offensively when he doesn't have to focus on pitching.

There isn't really much to say about this. It's fairly obvious that the Dodgers signing the best player in the game and maybe the best player we've ever seen would be bad news for the Padres. It makes a team that is consistently in the playoffs just that much better.