Financial woes and an aging core jeopardize San Diego's appeal, potentially closing their championship window despite a prime location.
The San Diego Padres have enjoyed a winning season for the past four years, but according to Zachary D. Rymer’s newest Bleacher Report article, they aren’t necessarily an ideal destination in this year’s free agency.
Rymer used three parameters to determine a team's placement in his free agent destination rankings: payroll situation, contention window, and quality of life. With these three parameters, the Padres ranked as just the 19th-best free agent destination this winter.
The biggest hit the Padres took in this ranking came from the team’s current payroll situation. Finances are seemingly becoming a big issue in San Diego, with the team reportedly losing money as the Seidler family has expressed interest in selling the franchise.
With the financial questions, the Padres still have a projected payroll of over $200 million heading into next season. It’s becoming increasingly likely that the Padres simply will not be able to make a splash in free agency due to their financial circumstances.
The Padres do have their recent history to entice some free agents, however, as they’ve made the playoffs four times in the last six seasons. There’s no doubt that the San Diego roster has the core to make a postseason push, but the window may not be open for much longer. With the increasingly problematic finances and an aging core that includes Manny Machado and Xander Bogaerts, the window may be closing for the Padres.
Their future doesn’t offer a promising hope of a continuation of success, either, with the worst-ranked farm system in baseball. With their stars aging and little talent coming through the system, the Padres could find themselves in an ugly spot in the near future.
What the Padres do have going for them is where they play. Petco Park is one of the best ballparks in baseball, and it sits in one of the most desirable cities to live in the country. If you’re a free agent, it wouldn’t exactly be hard to make the move to San Diego.
Though they may not be the most desirable team to join at the moment, the Padres will need to bring in some new faces this offseason. Their pitching staff needs a major overhaul, and there are real questions to answer on the other side of the ball as well. General manager A.J. Preller may be forced to target older veterans on cheaper deals because of the financial limitations, but he needs to make do with whatever he has available.