The Padres are keeping tabs on righty Craig Stammen, according to a tweet from Jon Morosi of MLB Network.
GM AJ Preller could use another righty arm to shore up a bullpen that, as presently constructed, figures to offer high-leverage innings to suspects like Luis Perdomo.
Also of note: the club is still not sold on the Mejia/Hedges catching tandem, according to a report from Kevin Acee.
And why would they be? In no world does it make sense to pair an elite defensive catcher with a 23-year-old, recent top-15 prospect who projects to be among the best bat-first backstops in the league. How could Jayce Tingler possibly make such a combination work?
It would make far more sense to trade prospects for Cubs catcher WIllson Contreras, who ranked 106th among catchers according to Baseball Prospectus’ Fielding Runs Above Average metric (-7.7)—right in the same range as lauded defenders like Josh Phegley, Kurt Suzuki, and the ghost of Jonathan Lucroy. But—pedigree!