The San Diego Padres may be looking to make yet another major splash in free agency and will be in a position to target right-handed starter Stephen Strasburg, organizational sources told Kevin Acee of the San Diego Union-Tribune.
Strasburg inked a seven-year extension with the Washington Nationals in 2017, but he reportedly opted out of the remaining four years and $100 million in guaranteed money on that deal Saturday in order to become a free agent. The veteran hurler's parents live in San Diego County and he attended San Diego State.
Padres officials have already discussed increasing payroll in order to open a contention window in 2020. The team's payroll hit $124.8 million in 2019 and it's expected to be in the "middle of the pack" by opening day, a source told Acee.
The average MLB payroll in 2019 was just over $137 million. San Diego's current commitment - including arbitration estimations - is just below $120 million.
General manager A.J. Preller hasn't shied away from loosening the purse strings in recent seasons, signing Manny Machado and Eric Hosmer to long-term contracts and extending Wil Myers. The team has also enjoyed the emergence of high-profile rookies such as Fernando Tatis Jr. and Chris Paddack.
Strasburg is coming off one of his best seasons with the Nationals. He went 18-9 with a 3.32 ERA across 33 regular-season starts before elevating his game in the postseason. The 31-year-old compiled a 5-0 record and 1.98 ERA in October and earned World Series MVP honors as the Nationals won the first championship in franchise history.