The San Diego Padres enter spring training with an ample
amount of candidates to fill out their starting rotation. Still, the club could
pursue another arm at some point prior to the start of the regular season, general
manager Josh Byrnes tells Corey Brock of MLB.com.
"There is a chance we can solve [the rotation] with our own guys," San Diego general manager Josh Byrnes said. "The thing about the offseason [is] … we haven't pursued guys just to add bodies. But if we feel there's an upgrade, someone with upside or a long-term guy, then OK. But we're comfortable with seeing how our guys look. There might be a need [to add a pitcher] but there might not be."
At this point, Brock notes that the Padres essentially have
10 starting candidates for five spots. Two of those spots will be occupied by
Clayton Richard and Edinson Volquez, and Jason Marquis is a favorite to land
another.
Beyond those three, Anthony Bass, Casey Kelly, Tyson Ross
and Eric Stults are all viewed as legitimate candidates for the final two rotation
spots. Non-roster invitees Freddy Garcia and Robbie Erlin could also pitch
their way into the picture. Tim Stauffer is recovering from injury, and he’s
about two weeks behind the other starters.
Still, the Padres are a team familiar with injuries – look
at Andrew Cashner, Joe Wieland and Cory Luebke – and they could look outside
the organization for additional depth. Some of the names remaining on the free
agent market include Kyle Lohse, Roy Oswalt, Dallas Braden and Chris Young.
Follow @mlbinjurynews
