Padres predicted to sign $15M 3-time Cy-Young winner, World Series Champion amid Yu Darvish saga

Hunter Cookston

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Padres predicted to sign $15M 3-time Cy-Young winner, World Series Champion amid Yu Darvish saga image

Jonathan Hui-Imagn Images

The San Diego Padres are entering a new era of baseball after Mike Schildt unexpectedly decided to retire at the end of last season. The Padres, like other teams around the league, went on a search to find their next manager. San Diego ultimately hired Craig Stammen to be the next man in charge.

“Stammen, a highly regarded former reliever who pitched as recently as three years ago, was announced as the Padres' new manager on Thursday, shocking people throughout the industry who were unaware he was even considered a candidate,” ESPN’s Alden Gonzalez wrote.

The Padres have yet to make any significant additions to the starting rotation, and with Yu Darvish beginning a saga over whether he will retire, the situation remains unclear.

“You may have seen an article, and although I am leaning towards voiding the contract, there’s still a lot that has to be talked over with the Padres so the finer details are yet to be decided. Also I will not be announcing my retirement yet. Right now I am fully focused on my rehab for my elbow, and if I get to a point where I can throw again, I will start from scratch again to compete. If once I get to that point I feel I can’t do that, I will announce my retirement,” Darvish posted.

FanSided’s Christopher Kline believes the Padres could add a cheap starter in veteran Justin Verlander.

“Justin Verlander wants to pitch again. Common logic would point toward the 42-year-old former Cy Young winner landing on an established contender, which a lot of folks tend to read as New York, Los Angeles or Philadelphia. But the San Diego Padres remain right in the thick of contention on a yearly basis and AJ Preller desperately needs cheap innings to solidify his rotation. Verlander pitched 152 of 'em last season, with a healthy 3.85 ERA,” Kline wrote.

Verlander is nearing the end of his career, but he still knows how to navigate through a game and set up his bullpen when it matters most. The Padres are in major need of adding a rotation piece, and the veteran provides exactly that.

Verlander may not have the juice he once did, but he can still do a great job of finessing his pitches. This would be a huge pickup for the Padres as they face an uncertain future with Darvish.

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