The San Diego Padres could become richer by making their chiefest rival poorer this offseason.
Padres could sign RHP Walker Buehler in free agency
ESPN’s Jeff Passan urged the Padres to go after reigning World Series champion Walker Buehler of the Los Angeles Dodgers in free agency (h/t Jackson Roberts of The Sporting News):
“With a payroll around $200 million already, the Padres won’t have much room to add to a roster that is deep in talent,” Passan said. “They’re also deep in tough-to-move contracts, which boxes them in when exceeding the CBT threshold is probably not in the cards.”
“Getting (Roki) Sasaki would alleviate a potential salary crunch, but if that doesn’t happen, and if they can’t line up on a big-name trade, there are enough options in free agency to fill out the rotation properly. One of them, in fact, would need to trek only 120 miles down the 5.”
Buehler lived up to his reputation as a big-game deliverer in the 2024 playoffs
Buehler had a forgettable 2024 regular season campaign. He went 1-6 with a career-low 5.38 ERA and a 1.553 WHIP for the Dodgers. However, in the playoffs, the Kentucky native came alive with masterful performances in Los Angeles’ National League Championship Series against the New York Mets and in a pivotal Game 3 of the World Series against the New York Yankees.
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Having returned to glory with two big games added to his history of clutch postseason performances, the Padres could reinforce the championship culture they are trying to forge in San Diego by taking on Buehler. He last signed a one-year, $8.02 million deal with the Dodgers in 2024. Thus, the Padres could potentially snag him on the lower end of eight figures this offseason.
