Padres Sign Clayton Richard for 2017 Season
The San Diego Padres have brought back an old friend, as the team has signed Clayton Richard to a one-year deal.
The left-handed pitcher will be added to a staff that is currently under construction. A.J. Preller and the Padres added Jhoulys Chacin on a one-year deal earlier this week and he is likely to be right in the mix for a rotation spot. Richard and Chacin are part of a pitching staff that presently includes Luis Perdomo, Christian Friedrich, Jarred Cosart, Paul Clemens, and Cesar Vargas. Little by little, the staff is starting to take shape, and the Padres’ rotation will not be as bad as most have led you to believe.
The addition of Richard on a $1.75 million dollar deal gives the Padres another solid leader for this team. He is viewed as a great clubhouse guy and his addition will help develop some of the younger pitchers on the Padres’ staff. In addition to his base salary of $1.75 million, he has a chance to earn up to $1 million in incentives.
clayton richard agrees to padres deal. $1.75M.
— Jon Heyman (@JonHeyman) December 20, 2016
The Padres are going to be a young offensive team and they will certainly be fun to watch. Adding a veteran like Richard will only make the team better.
There are reports that the Padres are talking to Jake Peavy about a possible reunion. That would be fun to see. I know not to expect the dominant Cy Young Award winner that once graced the mound at Petco Park, but I still think he can benefit the team. Not only for what he brings every fifth day, but for his work ethic and intense personality. He was also a homegrown Padres player and is nine wins away from being the franchises all-time wins leader. He currently has 92, while the record is held by Eric Show with 100. That would be fun to watch for Padres fans in a rebuilding year.
Clayton Richard gets 1M incentives on top of the 1.75M base #padres
— Jon Heyman (@JonHeyman) December 20, 2016
Richard had a great year for the Padres last season as he went 3-3 in 11 games (nine starts) with a 2.52 ERA in 53 innings pitched. He was obtained after the Cubs released the veteran late in the season. Richard owns a career 43-42 record as a Padres pitcher, having spent spent six total seasons with the club. He has amassed a career 4.03 ERA in that time during his 116 starts and 690 innings pitched. He will add to those numbers this coming season.
This is not the flashiest of signings by the Padres, but the team is doing it right. There is no sense spending a ton of money when the team is not currently ready to win. In time the young players will develop, and when the time is right, the Padres have money to spend. This is an exciting time for Padres’ fans. The team is determined to be relevant very soon.
James was born and raised in America’s Finest City. He is a passionate baseball fan with even more passion towards his hometown Padres. Editor-In-Chief of EastVillageTimes.com. Always striving to bring you the highest quality in San Diego Sports News. Original content, with original ideas, that’s our motto. Enjoy.