The San Diego Padres may be moving in the fences for next season, but that has not dissuaded at least one starting pitcher from wanting to take the mound for the club. Free-agent right-hander Daisuke Matsuzaka has expressed interest in "restarting" his career with the Padres at Petco Park, per the San Diego Union-Tribune.
Dice-K told Japanese media last week that he enjoyed pitching at Petco during the 2009 World Baseball Classic and likes the idea of hitting the reset button there. Money does not appear to be an object for the 32-year-old right-hander, who missed most of the 2011 and 2012 seasons recovering from Tommy John surgery; he's just looking for a place to pitch.
Matsuzaka spent six up-and-down seasons with the Boston Red Sox, putting together a masterful season in 2008 but failing to live up to expectations the other five years. The right-hander posted a 4.52 ERA and 1.90 strikeout-to-walk ratio overall, his 4.3 BB/9 rate illuminating his inability to get a firm grasp on the strike zone.