The San Diego Padres have made great strides over the past couple of months to become one of the biggest powerhouses in Major League Baseball, making aggressive moves to acquire even more talent.
They have a great offensive core with Fernando Tatís Jr, Manny Machado, and even Jake Cronnenworth. Last year, they acquired Mike Clevinger to bolster an already solid starting rotation, and have recently traded for both Yu Darvish and Blake Snell.
However, they know that they have to be flawless if they want to dethrone divisional rival Los Angeles Dodgers, and that's why the Friars are reportedly interested in signing yet another starting pitcher.
San Diego Padres Could Sign Masahiro Tanaka
That's why, according to a report by Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic, the San Diego Padres are doing their due diligence in former New York Yankees star Masahiro Tanaka, who's now a free agent.
Tanaka was one of the most consistent pitchers the Yankees had over the past decade, especially when it comes to the playoffs. Now, however, the Pinstripers aren't expected to bring him back as they look to cut expenses.
With Mike Clevinger set to miss the whole season with a Tommy John surgery, the Padres feel like they could still need another starter beside Dinelson Lamet, and Tanaka may provide them just the experience they need at a fair price.
Tanaka also reacted to the rumors that claim that he was going back to Japan if he didn't resign with the Yankees, stating that he's going to play for whoever team is interested in acquiring his services.
"Some media outlets have reported that they have no choice but to play for the Yankees or Japan about their future, but that's not the case. At this stage, we are not limiting the teams we want to play next season, but we are thinking from all the teams that are interested in us," the Japanese said.
