No one else wanted to take a chance on Prior?

I know that it’s an extreme longshot that Mark Prior ever regains his old form. But the Padres only had to give him a $1 million contract to take that chance?

As scarce as the free agent pitching market is, I would figure that taking a chance on Prior would be worth it even with a few more million. $1 million in baseball is virtually nothing, and even with incentives, the most Prior could get is $3 million — I would think some savvy GM could at least match the $1 million and offer more in incentives, or offer a couple more million not including incentives. It’s only a one-year deal and not a ton of money in baseball terms.

The stories say Prior is targeting a mid-May comeback date, but even if Prior gives the Padres a couple of quality starts late in the year, he could be worth it. The Padres are a team that just missed the playoffs last year, and any little push could get them back in the postseason.