Report: Padres looking closely at Bumgarner, Keuchel
With Gerrit Cole and Stephen Strasburg off the board, the focus for teams looking for high-end pitching help appears to have shifted to Madison Bumgarner and Dallas Keuchel.
The San Diego Padres are one of those clubs, as the team is taking close looks at the two free-agent lefties, according to Jon Heyman of MLB Network.
Starting pitching is an area the Padres should address, as their starters finished 18th in WAR during the 2019 campaign, according to FanGraphs.
Bumgarner, 30, has reportedly drawn interest from multiple teams during the offseason, including the Los Angeles Dodgers, Los Angeles Angels, Minnesota Twins, Chicago White Sox, Cincinnati Reds, New York Yankees, Arizona Diamondbacks, Philadelphia Phillies, and the San Francisco Giants, the team he's spent his entire 11-year career with.
The four-time All-Star is reportedly seeking a five-year contract worth at least $100 million. Bumgarner authored a 3.90 ERA in 207 2/3 innings for the Giants last season.
Keuchel, meanwhile, is rumored to be on the radar of the Angels, White Sox, Chicago Cubs, and Toronto Blue Jays.
The 2015 AL Cy Young award winner owns a career 3.67 ERA across eight seasons in the majors with the Houston Astros and Atlanta Braves. The 31-year-old is also a two-time All-Star.
San Diego has been busy this winter with the acquisitions of infielder Jurickson Profar, outfielders Tommy Pham and Trent Grisham, reliever Drew Pomeranz, and right-hander Zach Davies.