The San Diego Padres have one issue to solve this offseason: their starting rotation. With Dylan Cease and Michael King on the way out, and Yu Darvish regressing, all they have that’s of ace caliber is Nick Pivetta.
Now, Bleacher Report’s Tim Kelly believes San Diego’s general manager A.J. Preller is ready to make a splash, and will go out and get Detroit Tigers Cy Young Tarik Skubal.
As is, MLB Pipeline says the Padres have two top-100 prospects in catcher Ethan Salas and the recently-drafted Kruz Schoolcraft. It's unclear if San Diego would be able to put together the type of trade package it would take to land Skubal. Preller is such a wheeler-and-deal, though, that it's hard to rule the Padres out, especially since they'll have a need for an ace,” Kelly wrote.
It’s true that if the Padres still had Leo De Vries, they definitely could have had the capital to trade for Skubal. He made Juan Soto happen, he got Mason Miller, and he’s signed many stars.
MORE: Red Sox linked to $18 million two-time All-Star ace as massive upgrade from Lucas Giolito
The Padres truly need an ace. With Pivetta being their only proven star, getting Skubal could create a fiery 1-2 punch for the Padres, and would help them in their quest to battle for contention of the NL West with the Los Angeles Dodgers’ superteam.
Hopefully, the Padres figure out something to make a solid offer to Detroit for Skubal. If they don’t, they’ll have to compete with half the league who all want him as well.
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