The San Diego Padres have made sweeping changes to their infield this offseason. They've made changes to their outfield. They've made changes to their starting rotation. And they've made changes to their bullpen, with the latest being the addition of veteran reliever Chad Qualls.
Chad Qualls, Padres Nearing One-Year Contract Agreement
According to Jon Morosi, Qualls and the Padres are on the verge of an agreement. It’s expected that the contract will be worth around $2 million over one year, with an option for 2012. That’s a significant pay cut from the sum Qualls pulled home in 2010, but it’s hard to say he didn’t deserve it.
The 32-year-old righty posted a horrifying 7.32 ERA last season over 59 innings with the Diamondbacks and Rays, with a career-high walk rate. What the Padres will be counting on is that Qualls can re-discover some of what he did in the past, when he was an effective innings-sponge for the DBacks and Astros. He generates a lot of groundballs and generally throws strikes, so if Petco Park suits him as it does most any other pitcher, he could and should be able to help out an already-strong bullpen that features Heath Bell, Luke Gregerson, Mike Adams, and Joe Thatcher.
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