The San Diego Padres offseason has been rather quiet compared to years past, but they've done their due diligence on adding more talent. With the season starting in a month, the team is still looking to upgrade across the roster if they see an opportunity.
The main area the front office has been looking at has been in their starting rotation. The Padres have an inexperienced rotation after Yu Darvish and Joe Musgrove, so bringing in more talent could help.
One name that has been linked to them a few times is veteran left-hander Hyun Jin-Ryu. San Diego fans are familiar with Ryu from his time with the Los Angeles Dodgers.
However, it looks like the Padres will need to look elsewhere. It's being reported that Ryu will head back to Korea to join the Hanwha Eagles.
According to Dan Kurtz of MyKBO, Ryu’s deal is worth about $12.7 million over four years.
If this is it for Ryu in the majors, he built a solid career. He spent most of it with the Dodgers before signing with the Toronto Blue Jays.
Unfortunately, Ryu was forced to undergo Tommy John surgery a few seasons ago. It cost him much of the last two years, but he did look good when he returned last year.
The Padres could have used him as another depth piece in the rotation, and he would have brought some veteran experience to the table. However, it just wasn't meant to be.
San Diego will need to look elsewhere if they want to add more talent to their rotation, or they could stand pat to see how things go. Either way, the Padres should be more competitive than they were last year, and they are hopeful for a productive season.
More must-reads: