The San Diego Padres could target the best free agent on the market this offseason.
During the summer, the NL West franchise was sold by the Seidler family to José E. Feliciano and Kwanza Jones.
Perhaps the new ownership will be aggressive in their pursuit of the game’s top players.
According to MLB Network’s Jon Morosi, the Padres have interest in two-time Cy Young winner Tarik Skubal.
“The Padres, under new ownership, already have expressed interest in Tarik Skubal,” Morosi wrote on X.
Obviously, the Padres won’t be alone in the Skubal sweepstakes. Big market teams like the Los Angeles Dodgers and New York Mets are expected to be involved.
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MLB Trade Rumors predicted that Skubal’s contract will surpass Yoshinobu Yamamoto’s $325 million contract, currently the richest deal for a pitcher in Major League history.
There’s no doubt the Padres could use an ace. Michael King opted out of his contract, and Casey Mize and Robbie Ray are also free agents.
Landing Skubal would be fantastic for San Diego’s rotation, but A.J. Preller would need to build a solid foundation behind him.
