SAN DIEGO -- Over the past few days, the Padres have acquired two-fifths of their projected Opening Day rotation. But evidently they aren't done yet on the starting-pitching front.
Entering the offseason, general manager A.J. Preller aimed to add at least three Major League-caliber hurlers to his rotation mix. On Tuesday, he brought Jhoulys Chacín and Clayton Richard on board as the Padres' first two big league acquisitions of the offseason.
In Preller's eyes, there's still work to be done.
"With the additions of Chacin and Richard, I think we can be a little bit more selective going forward," Preller said. "But we're still looking to add to the pitching staff. In general, you want to have options. You always have to try and get 1,000 innings or so out of your rotation, and you want to make sure that you don't [expect to] do it with five guys."
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As it stands, the Padres have at least seven hurlers in their rotation mix. Chacin, Richard, Luis Perdomo and Christian Friedrich are early favorites for starting jobs. Jarred Cosart, Paul Clemens and César Vargas will be among those competing for the final spot -- with one or two more pitchers expected to be added to that mix.
Chacin and Richard both signed one-year deals. And in their search for another arm, it's likely the Padres will take the same tack. In a thin free-agent pitching market, they'd prefer not to commit to anything past 2017.
Among the names that have been rumored is former Padres ace Jake Peavy. A report from the San Diego Union-Tribune has linked the Friars with the veteran right-hander, who struggled last season in San Francisco. Peavy appears to be one of many options, with Preller noting that the club will "cast a wide net" in its search for starting pitching.
"You want to be able to have some numbers in case some guys go down with injuries or in case of a lack of performance," Preller said. "We're going to still look to add a guy or two to the staff, because we know that happens."
News and notes
• With the arrival of Chacin and the return of Richard, it appears unlikely that prospects Dinelson Lamet and Walker Lockett will get a crack at the Opening Day rotation. The same holds true for right-hander Zach Lee, who was claimed off waivers last week. All three appear destined to begin the season at Triple-A El Paso.
• Héctor Sánchez, Jon Edwards, Jose Pirela and Erik Johnson have all signed Minor League deals with the Padres after they were non-tendered at the beginning of the month. Johnson, who was acquired in June as part of the James Shields trade, is recovering from Tommy John surgery. But the other three will receive invites to Major League Spring Training.