Masahiro TanakaSP | Yankees

Padres expressing interest in FA Masahiro TanakaJanuary 13, 2021 | 06:47 AM

According to Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic, the Padres are still "doing background work" on multiple free agent starters, including Masahiro Tanaka. Analysis: The rotation wouldn't seem to be an area of need any longer for the Padres after the additions of Blake Snell and Yu Darvish, but Rosenthal suggests that there may be more concern than the team is letting on about the health of Dinelson Lamet, who did not pitch in the 2020 postseason due to a biceps injury. Darvish and Tanaka are longtime friends, and current Padres pitching coach Larry Rothschild was Tanaka's first pitching coach with the Yankees. The 32-year-old right-hander registered a strong 3.56 ERA, 1.167 WHIP, and 44/8 K/BB ratio over 48 innings (10 starts) for New York in 2020 but has faced a slow-moving market like many others.