Although the Padres sit below .500 (42-43) as the season nears the All-Star break, they’re still just two games back of a wild-card spot in the National League. If the team hangs in the race until late in the year, it could get back a key reinforcement in right-hander Garrett Richards. The Padres are hopeful the recovering Tommy John surgery patient will join their staff in September, Kevin Acee of the San Diego Union-Tribune reports.
Richards went under the knife last July, effectively ending his Angels tenure, but that didn’t stop the Padres from making a strong commitment to him in free agency. The club guaranteed $15.5MM over two years to Richards, thus making him their second-biggest offseason signing behind Manny Machado.
The 31-year-old Richards earned his deal as a result of a promising stint with the Angels, a 744 2/3-inning stretch from 2011-18 in which he logged a 3.54 ERA/3.62 FIP with 7.8 K/9, 3.24 BB/9 and a 52.5 percent groundball rate. However, injuries – not just Richards’ damaged ulnar collateral ligament – undermined him toward the end of his Angels tenure. Richards concluded his run in Los Angeles with 76 1/3 or fewer innings in each of his final three seasons with the franchise.
When Richards has been healthy enough to take the mound, he has produced like someone capable of slotting in near the top of a team’s rotation. That explains why the starter-needy Padres took a gamble on him for a somewhat expensive amount of money. The team’s current rotation could certainly use a recovered Richards, having managed only mediocre numbers overall. Chris Paddack, Joey Lucchesi and Eric Lauer have been good or better, as has Logan Allen across a mere three appearances. But no one from a trio consisting of Matt Strahm, Nick Margevicius and Cal Quantrill has offered a solution over a combined 33 starts.
As they continue to wait for Richards, the Padres will welcome righty Dinelson Lamet back to their rotation Thursday. The 26-year-old Lamet, like Richards, has recently seen Tommy John surgery stall his career. Lamet impressed as a rookie in 2017 before hitting the operating table in April 2018.
That good to hear. Get some of the rust off before next year.
That’s good news. Dinelson Lemet comes back tomorrow.
They both should help next season. With Strahm and Quantrill in the pen and if the Padres trade for or sign a top of the rotation starter they should have a solid rotation next season..
This would look great in 2020
Strasburg or Syndergaard
Richards
Paddack
Lucchesi
Lamet, Allen or Lauer
2020 Bullpen
Yates
Castillo
Munoz
Strahm
Wingenter
Perdomo
Erlin
Reyes/Stock/Diaz/or who ever does not make the rotation
That is a pitching staff that could push the Padres into contention.
It unfortunately wasn’t just the end of his tenure with the Angels did he have injuries. He had the devastating knee injury at Fenway Park in August, 2014. He tore his UCL in May of 2016 but was able to improve it via stem cell therapy. He came out of his first start in 2017 with a Biceps nerve irritation that kept him out until September of that year. He then tore his UCL again in July, 2018. He has electric stuff nonetheless and I hope that he will be able to avoid injuries once he comes back.
I think “lol” is the most appropriate reply to this one.
as an Angels’ fan i certainly wish Garrett well. i hope the string of injuries he had is at an end. it was difficult being patient and waiting and waiting. he has great spin and action on his pitches, so much that catchers often have difficulty corralling them. he’s a great clubhouse guy. good luck Garrett.
Can I first be fired up about Lamet coming back tomorrow? And we’re suppose to trade for a starting pitcher right?
Yankees should have beat the Padres offer. It turns out to be 15.5 for one year of pitching. He is a top of the rotation pitcher. Frustrating to have let GR get away.
I’m glad the Padres took a flyer on Richards. If he can pitch like he did pre TJ surgery then the Pads made out like bandits getting an ace arm for pretty much 15.5 for one season. If he fails to come back then they lose out on a few bucks any nothing else. Good move Preller.
Richards hasn’t pitched full season since 2015 now he’s saving the day
It will end up like all other Preller free agent signings
So, like Tyson Ross and Jordan Lyles, they’ll release him for nothing mid-way through next year and pay him to pitch for someone else? That would be pretty normal for the Boy Genius.
They didn’t pay Ross or Lyle’s to pitch for someone else. When the Cards and Brewers claimed them they assumed what remained of the contract.
Try again. Both free agent signings by Pittsburg and Detroit. Lyles has done better than in SD but Tyson is hurt again. Shocking.
Hate on AJ all you want. He not free from making mistakes but they all do. Hes done more good than bad and the future has never been brighter. Of course this is seen through the lens of the last two decades.
Towers draft history, barely got to see what Jed did but he and Jason’s drafts werent much better. Moorad and Brynes was the bottom for sure.
Machado is looking pretty good. Hosmer is looking better this season. Kinsler was horrible to start the season, but the last month and a half he has looked good. I think Yates was a free agent signing. A minor league one at that. So was Hand.
Yates and Hand were waiver claims. Kinsler has been alright but is blocking Luis Urias.
I think the padres go bold in the offseason and trade for Strasburg if he doesn’t opt out.
He would certainly be the TOR the Padres need. Would he be a better option than Gerrit Cole?
Looks like they banned Ryan for the spoofed account. TY MLBTR. Appreciate it.
Trade Myers and Kinsler for a bag of Takis!