Despite a significant pitching acquisition, analysts still deem the Padres a loser. Discover why this surprising label persists after the Michael King signing.
On Thursday night, the San Diego Padres made their first big signing in free agency by bringing back pitcher Michael King on a three-year deal that could be worth $75 million.
King's return is a big move for San Diego, but it is also the first notable move of the offseason.
Kerry Miller of Bleacher Report had some winners and losers in free agency, and the Padres were labeled a loser even after the King signing.
"With the Padres in particular, history shows that wheeling‑and‑dealing season is never truly over until it's over. Because while AJ Preller has made more than his fair share of blockbuster moves over the years, he has never been shy about waiting out the market. Last winter, the Padres did little of note until the end of January and still ended up getting Nick Pivetta and three guys who were regulars in their starting lineup early in the season in Gavin Sheets, Jason Heyward and Elias Díaz," Miller wrote.
"So, no, we're not concerned that prior to re-signing Michael King on Thursday, the only move they had made this winter was signing a 28-year-old reliever with 23 innings of MLB experience (Ty Adcock). However, if we're choosing winners and losers from what we've seen thus far, this is clearly one of the bigger losers, having done virtually nothing to replace Dylan Cease, Robert Suarez, Luis Arráez and Ryan O'Hearn," Miller added.
Yes, bringing King back is a massive addition, but the losses of Cease, Arraez and O'Hearn are bigger than just King returning.
There is a chance O'Hearn comes back to San Diego, and, who knows what happens with Arraez in this market.
But, once again, AJ Preller is the most unpredictable GM in perhaps the entire sports world.
Who saw him signing Nick Pivetta to a four-year deal at the end of free agency last year? Who saw him trading away one of their best prospects in recent years for closer Mason Miller?
And, there has been plenty of smoke involving a deal with teams such as the New York Mets, and one can only imagine how many other teams are calling Preller's phone.
So, while the Padres are on the losers side of this list right now, it could drastically change over the next few days, weeks, or even months depending what magic Preller pulls out of his hat.
At the very least, the padres are not boring. Not anymore.