San Diego Padres: Should they pursue Jake Arrieta?
By Jason Evans
The San Diego Padres already spent big in free agency this off-season by signing Eric Hosmer to provide some veteran leadership. Should they add Jake Arrieta to the pitching staff?
The San Diego Padres are a team on the rise. With possibly the best farm system and ton of both pitching and positional prospects either close to the majors or in the show already, the club gave Eric Hosmer a huge free agent pact to provide some veteran leadership for all the youth.
Could Jake Arrieta provide the same leadership for the pitching staff? Well, it appears the Padres might be giving it a thought.
#padres already signed the biggest free agent of the year, and now sources say they have checked in on the biggest player/pitcher remaining. it's probably a long shot, but they are thinking about it, anyway. https://t.co/BDl3GbrrZh
— Jon Heyman (@JonHeyman) March 8, 2018
This how the Padres rotation currently sits; Clayton Richard, Bryan Mitchell, Dinelson Lamet, Luis Perdomo and Robbie Erlin. Jordan Lyles and Matt Strahm are options as well, while former Padres’ Tyson Ross and Chris Young are back in camp on non-roster invites.
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Not exactly the rotation of the Washington Nationals.
Help is on the way there though. Per MLBpipeline.com, nine of the club’s top 15 prospects are pitchers. Their AA rotation could be among the filthiest at any level of the minors this year, right along with the Atlanta Braves.
So, can Arrieta provide what to the pitchers what Hosmer can to the hitters?
Well for starters, since the San Diego Padres received revenue sharing, they only have to give up their fourth pick, which would be their 3rd round pick (they gave up their third pick, their 2nd round selection by signing Hosmer). If a team like the Yankees added Arrieta, they’d lose their second and fifth round picks, plus international spending money since they were over the luxury tax.
A couple of weeks ago, I looked at Arrieta’s decline in this space and how he should take a shorter term deal with a higher AAV.
He could be a fit with the San Diego Padres on a deal like that. Someone to give the Padres a pitcher at the top of the rotation and someone who can help guide some of the young pitchers as they begin to trickle up to the majors over the next couple of years and even with guys like Perdomo, Mitchell and Lamet who should be a part of the club this year. He’s someone who revived his career from the baseball bottom to a Cy Young Award.
If Arrieta will take a three year deal or fewer than the San Diego Padres should be all over it. If he wants something longer, they should keep their pick and their money and move forward with their plan.