There has been a lot of buzz revolving around the San Diego Padres and free agent pitcher Stephen Strasburg, but according to one report that’s all just hot air. In fact, according to Kevin Acee of the San Diego Union-Tribune, neither Strasburg nor Gerrit Cole will be signing with the Padres this winter.
The issue here is that these two free agent aces are asking for much more than the Padres want to dole out, per Acee, who notes the word is, “Scott Boras is seeking a minimum commitment of six years at $30-34 million a year for the 31-year-old Strasburg.”
He then notes that both the cost and length of that ask is “too rich and too long” for San Diego, which also means it’s “exceedingly unlikely” that Cole will end up signing with the Padres, either, as Cole will likely sign an even bigger deal than Strasburg in free agency.
Instead, the Padres would be more inclined to add a guy like Zack Wheeler, who’d likely come in around $16-20 million on a four- or five-year deal.
Clearly, the Padres want to add another high-level starter to what’s becoming a promising young rotation. However, Acee does not expect the Padres to break the bank a second straight year after doling out $300 million to Manny Machado last winter.