With AJ Preller leading the front office, that isn’t all that surprising, and he is living up to his reputation with the Padres
already connected to some of the biggest names on the trade market (Garrett Crochet, meet Jesus Luzardo). Still, those big
names on the starting pitching market are going to command high premiums, and they will be swarmed from now until the
end of July. The Padres could probably match MOST offers in terms of prospect packages, but the bidding could feasibly go
beyond what they are comfortable with, especially if they are adamant about holding onto Leo De Vries and Ethan Salas.
The Padres seem to be looking at some other starting pitchers that might be available on the trade market in order to be
ready for that eventuality. Chris Bassitt of the Blue Jays has emerged as one possible target for the Padres.
Padres Rumors: Is San Diego targeting Chris Bassitt at the trade deadline as a backup plan?
Numerous players are being evaluated by general managers throughout the league, and Feinsand’s story made no concrete
connection to a possible deal with the Blue Jays. Even still, given their late-season position in the AL playoff chase, Toronto
is clearly moving in the direction of becoming firm sellers at the deadline. The Blue Jays may wish to reduce Bassitt’s salary,
which is $22 million for both this and next season. That would provide a challenge because the Padres are likewise hesitant
to take on a large debt, but a financial load sharing arrangement might be advantageous to both parties.
Furthermore, for a while now, Bassitt has been an exceptionally reliable, albeit slightly unusual, rotation performer.
Although his stuff doesn’t pop off the page or strike out a lot of batters, he is good at limiting hard contact, has a history of
throwing strikes (apart from this year), and is almost a guarantee to deliver you a 3.00 to 3.5ish ERA every season.
The Padres may not actually need anything else now that Joe Musgrove and Yu Darvish are out. While adding another front-
line starter would be ideal, the Padres could still contend if they have a middle-of-the-rotation player like Bassitt who simply
goes about his business and keeps the team in games.
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