The 2019 Winter Meetings in San Diego started with a splash, thanks to a San Diego guy.
Stephen Strasburg signed a record-breaking deal to stay with the Washington Nationals. According to multiple reports, the San Diego State product agreed to a seven-year contract worth $245 million. That's the most for a pitcher in MLB history.
"It was an early Christmas present," Washington manager Dave Martinez said. "The year he had and just watching his whole career, to think that he's going to end it here with the team he started with is awesome for him and his family."
“It was an early Christmas present.”#Nats manager Dave Martinez was pretty excited to keep World Series MVP Stephen Strasburg in DC.4:33 PM - Dec 9, 2019Twitter Ads info and privacySee Darnay Tripp's other Tweets
Meanwhile, it was a quiet day for Padres. That's in large part due to a busy last two weeks. General Manager A.J. Preller swung a handful of deals that landed the team six new players. The group includes a starting pitcher in Zach Davies, and a veteran outfielder in Tommy Pham.
For that reason, Preller doesn't feel much urgency to make a splash this week.
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"We've been pretty targeted on guys that we've wanted to line up," Preller said. "We'll see how the week plays out. If we get something done, great. If not, we'll keep moving through the offseason."
It was a bit of a surprise that the team wasn't more active in search of free agent starting pitchers. Preller has shown more interest in making improvements throughout the roster, rather than taking aim at higher priced options on the market. He also says they are comfortable with the group currently on their roster.
"We feel good about the pitchers we have in house right now," Preller said. "We're always open to talk about trades, free agents on the starting pitching front. But honestly I think we feel really confident with the group we have."
Preller will speak with the media against Tuesday and Wednesday. New manager Jayce Tingler will hold court Wednesday afternoon.
