Padres near take care of Korean nearer Go (sources)

SAN DIEGO — The Padres are getting nearer to filling out their 2024 bullpen.

San Diego is nearing a take care of Korean reliever Woo Suk Go, sources instructed MLB.com. The Padres haven’t but confirmed the transfer, and Go’s bodily continues to be pending. A report from Yonhap News Agency in Seoul famous that Go took a flight from Korea to the United States on Tuesday night time (Wednesday afternoon native time).

The 25-year-old right-hander would assist solidify a bullpen that has already added Japanese left-hander Yuki Matsui this winter. Both are anticipated to be within the combine for back-end roles — a lot wanted additions after Josh Hader, Nick Martinez and Luis García every hit the free-agent market this winter.

What are the Padres getting?

In seven seasons pitching for the LG Twins of the Korea Baseball Organization, Go has posted a 3.18 ERA with 139 saves. He’s notched 401 strikeouts in 368 1/3 innings.

A tough-throwing, 5-foot-11 right-hander, Go sports a fastball within the mid-90s that may contact 98. He pairs it with a number of breaking pitches. Go’s management is mostly stable, although his stroll price ticked as much as 11.6 p.c in his 44 innings final season.

Because Go has performed fewer than 9 seasons within the KBO, the Padres would want to pay a launch price to the Twins to signal him.

Two weeks in the past, after the Padres signed Matsui, common supervisor A.J. Preller famous that Matsui would pitch “somewhere at the back part of the game,” then added that he’d have to “see what other options come up this offseason.”

Go seems to be a kind of different choices. Along with right-hander Robert Suarez, the Padres could possibly be heading for a three-player battle for his or her nearer position.

But whoever emerges on the again finish of their bullpen, all three are prone to pitch high-leverage innings. Steven Wilson, Tom Cosgrove and Enyel De Los Santos are additionally within the combine for set-up roles, and the Padres could have a gaggle of different pitchers they’ve acquired this winter vying for the ultimate place or two within the ‘pen.

If the Padres can finalize the Go deal, their bullpen could be shut to finish. Sure, they’d nonetheless be trying so as to add one other set-up arm or two. Bullpens are risky by nature, and Preller has reiterated his perception that power in numbers is one of the simplest ways to scale back that volatility.

So one other bullpen addition could be coming. But it is now not the highest precedence, and even the highest pitching precedence. The Padres nonetheless want one other starter (no less than) to fill out their rotation.

But the largest gap on their roster stays within the outfield. Fernando Tatis Jr. is the one returning starter, with Juan Soto and Trent Grisham dealt to the Yankees. On the 40-man roster, Tatis is joined solely by profession backup José Azocar — although No. 13 prospect Jakob Marsee, the Arizona Fall League MVP, will get an opportunity to compete for a task this spring.

In any case, with one other addition to their bullpen on the horizon, rotation and outfield are their clear remaining targets.