The search for starting pitching has been a priority for several teams already this offseason.
That includes the San Diego Padres, who made a surprise run to the NLCS this past October as the second Wild Card team in the National League.
Left-hander Sean Manaea and right-hander Mike Clevinger have each entered the free agent market, leaving the Padres with a few holes in their starting rotation.
According to team insider Dennis Lin, the Padres have been in talks with Japanese right-hander Kodai Senga.
Senga is reportedly close with Padres ace Yu Darvish and played with both Nick Martinez and Robert Suarez during his time in Japan.
The Padres met with Kodai Senga in San Diego yesterday, sources said. SD is one of many teams with interest in Senga, who could fill a remaining hole in the rotation. The righty is close with Yu Darvish, and played with Nick Martinez and Robert Suarez in Japan.
— Dennis Lin (@dennistlin) November 18, 2022
Padres Meet With Senga
That could certainly bode well for the Padres, who are in need of some starting pitching.
They already feature a solid top three with Darvish, Blake Snell, and Joe Musgrove.
But with Clevinger and Manaea both free agents, a spot is open for Senga.
Given his connections with several notable Padres pitchers, San Diego could very well be an ideal landing spot for the right-hander.
Senga has also been a focal point for teams such as the Texas Rangers, who also are expected to be very aggressive in the starting pitching market.
San Diego won 89 games during the regular season and eliminated the New York Mets in the NL Wild Card Series.
They then knocked out their bitter rivals in the Los Angeles Dodgers, who had completely dominated them during the regular season, in the NLDS.
Adding Senga would give them a major boost as they try to replace Manaea and Clevinger.
