Southside Showdown
Fansided

1 player from each NL West team for the White Sox to trade for

By Mitchell Kaminski

SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA - APRIL 16: Fernando Tatis Jr. #23 of the San Diego Padres taps Mookier Betts #50 of the Los Angeles Dodgers after tagging out on a double play during the first inning of a game at PETCO Park on April 16, 2021 in San Diego, California. (Photo by Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images)
SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA - APRIL 16: Fernando Tatis Jr. #23 of the San Diego Padres taps Mookier Betts #50 of the Los Angeles Dodgers after tagging out on a double play during the first inning of a game at PETCO Park on April 16, 2021 in San Diego, California. (Photo by Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images) /
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Chicago White Sox, Fernando Tatis Jr.
(Photo by Mark Brown/Getty Images) /

San Diego Padres

Things haven’t always gone well for the Chicago White Sox with the San Diego Padres.

The Padres could use some bullpen help. Mark Melancon declined his player option to test the market. Drew Pomeranz was good last year but his late-season injures are a cause for concern. Other options for the closer role are Robert Suarez, Luis Garcia, and Pierce Johnson.

Suarez had 42 saves for the Hanshin Tigers and throws 100 mph but is an unknown commodity. He may be better served in a setup role.

Luis Garcia is another hard thrower but has been plagued with inconsistency his past several seasons. Pierce Johnson owns an impressive 11.9 K/9 in his past two years but walks far too many batters to be considered the closer.

Craig Kimbrel would be a good stabilizing force in the backend of their bullpen. Meanwhile, the White Sox could use some starting pitching depth. The Padres have an embarrassment of riches in their starting rotation.

It is headlined by Yu Darvish and Blake Snell. They also have Mike Clevinger and young arms in Dinelson Lamet and MacKenzie Gore. They also agreed to a prelockout deal with Nick Martinez. That makes a player like Chris Paddack expendable.

Paddack is still young and under team control. He is coming off a rough 2021 campaign. He struggled to the tune of a 5.07 ERA. During his rookie campaign, he had a 3.33 ERA in 26 games. He held opponents to a .204 batting average and stuck out 153 strikeouts. He also had an impressive 0.98 WHIP. It may be worth rolling the dice to see if Paddack can return to form.

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