Padres linked to two Royals All-Star pitchers, but former Gold Glove winner is clear choice
San Diego could look to upgrade the starting rotation.
Padres linked to two Royals All-Star pitchers, but former Gold Glove winner is clear choice originally appeared on The Sporting News . Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here . The San Diego Padres may be searching for starting pitching upgrades at this year's Major League trade deadline.
Randy Vazquez has been a pleasant surprise, but there are serious questions about how the back end of the rotation will hold up. Right-hander Walker Buehler owns a 5. 40 ERA through his first six starts, and Griffin Canning just made his season debut on Sunday after returning from a ruptured Achilles.
"This is an either/or situation here, not a both," FanSided's Chris Landers wrote Monday. "But if San Diego wants to build on its surprisingly strong start to this season, it's going to need to bolster a rotation that so far has been making it work with guys like Griffin Canning, Walker Buehler, and Matt Waldron behind Michael King. " Landers believes a suitable trade partner for the Padres could be the Kansas City Royals .
He mentioned two All-Star pitchers in particular. "Hopefully Nick Pivetta and Joe Musgrove make it back at some point, but that's a big if, and either [Seth] Lugo or [Michael] Wacha would profile nicely as a back-end innings-eater that will make full use of the pitcher-friendly confines of Petco Park. " Lugo is the better trade fit for Padres Aside from already having experience with the organization in 2023, Lugo makes more sense for the Padres than Wacha.