Does Zack Greinke make sense for the San Diego Padres?

With his six-year, $206.5 million contract with the Houston Astros now in the rearview mirror, Zack Greinke is expected to continue his Major League Baseball career in 2022 with a new team. Could that team be the San Diego Padres?

In a New York Post article predicting where the top 40 free agents will sign this offseason, Ken Davidoff looks into his crystal ball and sees the 38-year-old Greinke signing a one-year, $13 million deal with the San Diego Padres.

Here is why a Zack Greinke-San Diego Padres connection makes sense

San Diego’s starting rotation fell apart last season as injuries decimated a starting pitching staff that was expected to be one of the best in the National League and derailed the Padres’ hopes of competing for the NL West crown. It got so bad for San Diego that a Band-Aid approach of bringing a struggling Jake Arrieta in for four starts in August and September was attempted by the Padres as they looked for anyone who could work a few quality innings. The result? Arrieta was bludgeoned with 18 hits and 15 earned runs surrendered in just 12.1 innings of work before being designated for assignment.

Looking ahead, the Padres should have Mike Clevinger, Blake Snell, and Yu Darvish back from injury to form the front of the 2022 rotation. Adding Greinke to the mix after logging 29 starts spanning 171.0 innings for the Astros in 2021 would be a welcome sight in San Diego. After all, the Padres don’t need to find an ace. They need to find a pitcher who can eat innings and keep San Diego’s offense from being forced to outslug the other team to win the game.

Greinke also provides postseason experience (21 starts and 113 innings) as well as a familiarity with the NL West (four years with the Arizona Diamondbacks and three with the Los Angeles Dodgers). The southpaw seems to have everything the Padres would need to solidify its rotation.

After his Game 4 World Series performance when he threw four shutout innings and perhaps etched his name in the record book as the last pitcher to record a hit in the Fall Classic (should the NL adopt the designated hitter as expected in 2022), Greinke was mum on whether he would return in 2022. It’s expected, however, that he will be back, and suiting up in San Diego makes a lot of sense, for both Greinke and the Padres.