The San Diego Padres were able to stop one major blow this offseason by re-signing Michael King, but they weren’t able to retain Dylan Cease. Now, with most of the superstar pitchers off the market, they may have to find an under-the-radar hurler.
Fansided’s Christopher Kline believes one guy they should look at who would be a perfect buy-low candidate is Baltimore Orioles pitcher Zach Eflin.
“The San Diego Padres defied the odds to re-sign Michael King, but the rotation still needs a facelift after Cease's departure. In a perfect world, AJ Preller would crack into ownership's hidden safe and pay an ace, like Tatsuya Imai or Framber Valdez. But that ain't happening. So the next-best move might be a buy-low bounce-back candidate in the vein of Zach Eflin…Eflin typically relies on groundball contact more than K's, but he has a deep arsenal and has shown himself capable of flirting with ace-level production when he's right. If he can get healthy and solidify the middle of San Diego's rotation, that's a huge potential win for both parties,” Kline wrote.
This past season, Eflin had a horrible season plagued with injuries, where he posted a 6-5 record, a 5.93 ERA, 50 Ks, and a WHIP of 1.416 over 71 innings pitched. However, in a healthy 2024 season, he posted a 3.59 ERA with a WHIP of 1.15, and a 2.60 ERA for Baltimore after the trade deadline.
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Eflin is projected to receive a three-year, $48 million deal this offseason. However, if he isn’t picked up soon, the Padres could throw a one-year deal with options for two more, just in case he doesn’t pan out.
Hopefully, the Padres find some money for a real starter. However, if this is what they fall back on, it could be worse.
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