Rumors of a contract negotiations between beginning pitcher Joe Musgrove and the San Diego Padres have been percolating for the final month, and people discussions bore fruit over the weekend: With a five-year, $100 million contract extension, the Padres have locked up their finest and most reliable starter via the top of the 2027 season.
I mentioned a attainable Musgrove extension a couple of weeks ago, and never a lot has modified within the right-hander’s valuation since then, when ZiPS thought {that a} 5 12 months, $126 million contract can be honest for either side. That makes touchdown Musgrove for $100 million a pleasant deal for the Friars, probably the results of some unknown mixture of canniness, Musgrove’s consolation on the prime of the rotation, and his said need to stick with his hometown workforce (Musgrove is from the San Diego space).
For Padres followers, it have to be a reduction to get this extension carried out — even when a lot of the elements recommend a deal might be reached, there’s no assure till there’s ink on the paper. Being from Baltimore, I feel again on the acrimonious finish to Mike Mussina‘s time in Appeal Metropolis. Mussina had beforehand given the O’s an excellent deal on a three-year, $21 million contract that purchased out a 12 months of free company, however when he truly did hit the open market, the O’s mainly underbid the Yankees, engaged on the idea {that a} hometown low cost can be completely constructed into his contracts. That the second half of Moose’s Corridor of Fame profession got here with the Yankees nonetheless makes me unhappy! ZiPS initiatives Musgrove as the perfect pitcher accessible in free company — his projection edges out Carlos Rodón’s — and as with Mussina and the Yankees, all bets are off as soon as the 29 different groups can bid in your franchise pitcher.
Signing Musgrove provides the Padres one much less drawback to fret about with their long-term rotation. The workforce nonetheless has Mike Clevinger and Sean Manaea hitting free company this winter, and Yu Darvish and Blake Snell after 2023. The extension additionally makes Musgrove a big pitcher within the context of Padres historical past, particularly if the deal works out. San Diego has had a franchise nearer in Corridor of Famer Trevor Hoffman, however has to this point missed out on an equally nice starter, one who makes the Corridor of Fame or a minimum of comes shut. Eric Show stays the one Padre in workforce historical past to rack up 100 wins for the franchise, and no pitcher has gathered 30 WAR whereas sporting mustard (we received’t speak about these blue uniforms). By comparability, the Royals, who debuted the identical 12 months because the Padres, have had six 100-win pitchers and 5 that handed the 30-WAR mark. The Expos/Nationals have had three in every class, and even the Pilots/Brewers have carried out barely higher.
If Musgrove meets his projections, he’ll stand at 88 Padres wins on the finish of his contract and 25.8 WAR. That already would rank him as one of many workforce’s greats.
Greatest Padres Pitchers by WAR
That’s proper, in additional than a half-century, solely 12 Padres pitchers have gotten to double-digit WAR.
With simply over 24 hours till the commerce deadline, the Padres have numerous work forward of them, even with their latest transfer to amass Josh Hader. However fixing one of many workforce’s pending offseason issues helps trim down their to-do listing.
