Three starting pitchers the Padres can still sign

San Diego Padres pitchers and catchers reported to spring training Sunday, but the team still has two major holes in its starting rotation. 

San Diego lost Seth Lugo and Michael Wacha (both to Royals) in free agency and is unlikely to re-sign Cy Young winner Blake Snell. Those three pitchers accounted for a combined 460.2 innings, 498 strikeouts while posting a collected 2.95 ERA. 

The only substantial piece the Padres added to the group this offseason is right-hander Michael King, who was acquired in the Juan Soto trade with the New York Yankees. That leaves Pedro Avila and Randy Vasquez, who are projected by FanGraphs to be the back ends of the starting rotation. 

However, it's not too late for the Padres to add to the rotation. Here are three starting pitchers the Padres could still sign:

Left-hander Jordan Montgomery

San Diego is in desperate need of a left-handed pitcher and Montgomery makes a lot of sense. He's coming off his most efficient year in the Majors, one in which he recorded career bests in innings (188.2), strikeouts (166), ERA (3.20), ERA+ (138) and WAR (4.3).

What was even more impressive were his efforts during the Texas Rangers' playoff run that eventually won them a World Series (2.90 ERA in 31 innings). His best performance was his wild-card start against the Tampa Bay Rays in which he tossed seven shutout innings.

Unfortunately for the Padres, Montgomery is set to cash in his biggest payday yet. Spotrac has his market value listed at $18.4 million, which might be a little too expensive for the Friars

Left-hander Eric Lauer

Last year, at the MLB level, Lauer posted a 6.56 ERA in 46.2 innings. His poor numbers caused the Brewers to demote him down to their Triple-A affiliate, the Nashville Sounds. His numbers didn't exactly improve in the minors, either, despite the decrease in talent he faced – he recorded a 5.15 ERA.

Before that downturn, though, Lauer was a rising star coming off back-to-back strong performances in 2021 (3.19 ERA in 118.2 innings) and 2022 (3.69 ERA in 158.2 innings). At just 28 years old, he still has room for improvement and his past success shows he can be a reliable middle-of-the-rotation starter. 

As of now his value is a mystery, but after his recent struggles he is certainly a cheaper option San Diego might be able to afford.

Right-hander Michael Lorenzen

Between April 15 and Aug. 9 of the 2023 season, Lorenzen was a shutdown starter on the mound. He boasted a 3.23 ERA in 122.2 innings (25 games started), which earned him the first All-Star appearance of his career. Unfortunately the last two months of the season weren't so kind to him. In his final nine starts he gave up 27 earned runs through 30.1 innings that inflated his season ERA to 4.18.

It's a potential signing that has already generated a lot of speculation. On Jan. 29, Jon Morosi of MLB Network reported that the Padres have shown interest in Lorenzen. 

Spotrac puts his market value at just over $9 million which likely means his price tag is between Lauer and Montgomery. If the Padres want to find that mixture between cheap and reliable, Lorenzen is the most intriguing option.