Josh Johnson Would Like to Pitch in San Diego

Yesterday afternoon, Giants beat writer Henry Schulman tweeted the following:

Industry sources tell me FA starter Josh Johnson let the #sfgiants and #padres know early on they were his first choice, close to Vegas home

— Henry Schulman (@hankschulman) November 18, 2013

The 29-year-old right-hander struggled this past season as a member of the Blue Jays staff and is looking to rebound in 2014. With the pitcher-friendly Petco Park, San Diego could be an ideal place to bounce back.

Johnson's 2013 season was plagued with injury issues, culminating in last month's elbow surgery to remove bone spurs. Johnson started 16 games for the Jays, posting a 6.20 ERA and a 2-8 record. Prior to this year, however, he had a decent career pitching for the Marlins. Through eight seasons with Florida/Miami, he posted a 3.15 ERA in 144 starts and 10 relief appearances.

You may recall Josh Byrnes' comments about the Padres already being "pretty deep" in regards to starting pitching, so considering Johnson is a right-handed starter and not a lefty reliever, I can't see Byrnes pursuing him too aggressively. I'd personally really like to see Johnson sporting Padres gear and going the way of Ian Kennedy, a veteran who came to San Diego looking to bounce back after experiencing struggles. The great thing is that Johnson already underwent Tommy John surgery back in 2007, so that wouldn't be an issue. A one-year contract could be ideal for both Johnson and the Padres.

Do you think he'd be a good FA acquisition or do you agree with Byrnes that our starting pitching is pretty much set for 2014?

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