Padres Doing Background Work On Masahiro Tanaka
4 years agoThe San Diego Padres are doing background work on free-agent starting pitcher Masahiro Tanaka and other free agents, even after swinging big trades for starters Blake Snell and Yu Darvish this offseason. Tanaka stands out because of his connection to Darvish and pitching coach Larry Rothschild. Darvish is friends with Tanaka, and Rothschild was his pitching coach for most of his time with the Yankees. Tanaka went 75-43 with a 3.75 ERA and averaged 27 starts, 168 innings and 158 strikeouts per season from 2014-19 with Rothschild as his pitching coach. San Diego might be looking for another starter due to lingering concerns over the health of Dinelson Lamet, who couldn't pitch in the playoffs due to biceps tendinitis. Tanaka had a 12.38 ERA and 2.13 WHIP in the postseason, but his long-ball issues could be mitigated by a move to Petco Park.
Source: The Athletic - Ken Rosenthal
Source: The Athletic - Ken Rosenthal