Despite a tough season, Zach Eflin's consistent control and elite chase rate make him a buy-low pitcher ripe for a Padres rebound.
The San Diego Padres boosted their rotation by bringing back Michael King on a three-year deal.
Now, they still need to add pitching, especially with Yu Darvish out for the 2026 season and maybe more. Nick Pivetta's name has also emerged in trade rumblings, but Joe Musgrove is set to return from injury.
Zachary D. Rymer of Bleacher Report listed eight buy-low options amid MLB free agency, and one of them is Baltimore Orioles pitcher Zach Eflin.
While Eflin isn't what he once was, Rymer added why he is "worth a shot," and he had the Padres as one of the possible options.
"The three-year, $40 million deal Zach Eflin signed with the Tampa Bay Rays three winters ago was the largest in their history. He didn't stick around long enough for them to see the end of it, and that's just as well for them. This was a lost year for Eflin, mostly owing to a back injury that dogged him all season and finally required surgery in August. And when he did pitch, he was roundly crushed," Rymer wrote.
But, despite the struggles, there were some positives for Eflin.
"This was, however, his fifth straight season with a walks-per-nine rate in the 1.0s. He also maintained a chase rate in the 87th percentile, indicating an ongoing talent for getting hitters to swing at his pitches. Between those things and what will hopefully be better health, teams should see Eflin as a candidate to bounce back and be more like his usual self in 2026. As in, the guy who made 59 starts and put up 6.3 rWAR across 2023 and 2024," Rymer added.
Eflin began his career with the Philadelphia Phillies, spending seven seasons there before joining the Tampa Bay Rays.
He then came to the Orioles in the 2024 season and has made just 23 starts in Baltimore. This past season, Eflin went 6-5 with a 5.93 ERA and a 1.42 WHIP.
Still, he turns 32 years old in April, and perhaps finding a new team could resurrect his career.
At the same time, Padres pitching coach Ruben Niebla has worked wonders before, and adding a veteran to the back of the rotation, especially on what could be a cheap deal, makes sense for San Diego.
Rymer also had the San Francisco Giants and Athletics as options, so he likes Eflin to move to the West Coast for the first time in his career.