Padres Consider Possibilities Of A ‘Blank Canvas’ Offseason

The San Diego Padres have an uncertain offseason coming, and its not exactly surprising that they’re taking an unconventional approach to it. AJ Cassavell of MLB.com wrote about some of the possibilities that are at hand, and it looks like some of what’s going to happen is coming into focus a little. 

It’s all about the starting pitching

We already knew this, but now we know a little more. Everyone is on the market at the moment, from ace Michael King and cohort Nick Pivetta to the departing Griffin Canning and injured Lucas Giolito.

But GM A.J. Preller doesn’t see this as a problem. 

“We have a little bit of a blank canvas and have some flexibility,” he said. “I think we see that as an opportunity.”

The only splash of pitching on the roster at the moment is right-hander Randy Vasquez, who will definitely return. (We think.) Everyone and everything else is up in the air. 

The bullpen needs a back-end arm

Yuki Matsui and Kyle Hart will both be back, which is definitely good news, and Bradgley Rodriguez, Jeremiah Estrada and David Morgan will, too, with all three set to possibly earn high-leverage innings. That’s especially true of Rodriguez, who was already doing just that for much of the season.

But the uncertain status of Adrian Morejon and Jason Adam means the Padres still need another arm, so that part of the canvas is blank right now. 

Morejon gets a qualifying offer

This move is mostly about bookkeeping to make sure the Padres get a draft pick if Morejon does leave. It’s for one year and $23.15 million, and Morejon will almost certainly turn it down. 

The question is how badly the Padres want him back. The current comps include the likes of Tanner Scott, whose deal is for four years and $72 million. Do the Padres want to go that high to keep their biggest strength intact going into the lockout? 

First base and a bench bat could be a problem

Ty France is currently a free agent, and the first baseman has expressed a desire to come back. But he’ll draw a lot of interest, so the big question theree is how badly do the Padres want him back. 

The Padres need another corner bat to go with France, though, and they need a bench bat as well.

Miguel Andujar and Austin Hays are now free agents, but Luis Campusano could be a bench bat when he isn’t catching, Dustin Harris and Samad Taylor are set to make up a platoon in left field, so there’s still a lot of positional sorting out to do as well.