While it is not a complete shock to hear that the San Diego Padres have interest in left-handed ace pitcher Tarik Skubal, it was a little surprising to read that they might make a run given how much money they already have committed to other players. Apparently, San Diego’s new ownership group may want to make a big splash and general manager A.J. Preller is as aggressive as they come.
It might seem risky for the Padres to make a run at Skubal. They need a lot of starting pitchers and for as good as Skubal is, signing him would mean less resources that could be spent on the rest of the rotation. It may be worth it to throw their hat in the ring if for no other reason that it will hurt the Los Angeles Dodgers.
LA remains the favorite to retain Skubal, but they will have competition. The Toronto Blue Jays, New York Mets, and others could also factor into the mix so at least MLB isn’t just going to let the Dodgers get Skubal without a little bit of a fight.
If the Padres can at the very least drive the price up on Skubal for the Dodgers then they will have done something worthwhile. It may seem like the Dodgers just have infinite money but some of the stuff that came out on LA’s owner Mark Walter this year coupled with the possibility of a salary cap, depending on how CBA negotiations pan out, suggest that the Dodger’s financial dominance may not last forever.
Does Skubal make baseball sense for the Padres?
While Skubal would make any team better, it is fair to wonder whether he makes true baseball sense for the Padres. They need multiple starters and if signing him to a deal that has a pretty high chance to end up aging very poorly prevents them from being able to add other solid rotation arms then it will end up looking like a big mistake.
That’s why one could argue the best-case scenario for San Diego is for them to get involved, drive the price up on Skubal, and then have him sign with the Dodgers for an absurdly high number. That may be bad for the Padres in the short-term, but long-term them may be glad that it is the Dodgers saddled with a huge contract rather than them.
And if the Padres are able to land Skubal, then that may be the piece they need to shift the balance of power in the NL West in the short term so either way it is a positive for San Diego.
We will see how it all plays out, but the Padres are smart to get involved in the Skubal sweepstakes. No matter how it shakes out they may end up looking pretty good.
Padres’ Pursuit Of Tarik Skubal Will Hurt Dodgers No Matter What