When it comes to offseason upgrades, the San Diego Padres have mastered the art of looking busy while actually doing next to nothing. To put it in the words of Dennis Lin from The Athletic, “It’s been three months since the San Diego Padres entered an offseason in which so much and so little has happened.”
The “so much has happened” part is about the changes off the field. Former manager Mike Shildt resigned, the Padres shockingly hired former reliever turned front-office guy Craig Stammen to be their manager, and Padres chairman John Seidler announced the impending sale of the team.
The on-field moves, however have been static. The Padres did resign starter Michael King, but the three-year deal with King contains a series of player opt-outs that basically make it a one-year deal so the pitcher can reenter the market if he pitches well this year.
There are plenty of questions remaining, though, and Lin tackled them head on in an intriguing piece. Here’s the summary of what he said and our version of what it means.
Why hasn’t Preller been extended yet?
We all thought Preller would sign an extension right after he hired Stammen, but that hasn’t happened. He’s now a lame-duck GM, and it’s fair to wonder if that isn’t affecting his famously-aggressive leadership style this offseason because he’s waiting to see what his next job might be.
How much starting pitching do the Padres still need?
A lot, probably. King and starter Joe Musgrove are coming off injuries, so there are serious questions about how many innings they’ll be able to pitch. The current ace, Nick Pivetta, may or may not be traded before Opening Day, and back-end options like Randy Vaquez and JP Sears are just that. The linchpin in this pitching equation is Pivetta, who can opt out of his deal after this season if he pitches as well as he did last year, hence the trade possibility.
Who will play first base?
Good question. Right now it looks like Gavin Sheets, even though former first baseman Luis Arraez is still on the market. The Padres passed on Japanese star Kazuma Okamoto, so this hole remains open.
How much spending room is left?
Another good question. Most of the payroll numbers being quoted for the Padres have the payroll weighing in at about $200 million, but there’s not a lot of flexibility. Trading Pivetta would open up a little spending room, which is also playing into the ongoing trade talk.
Which players are still trade candidates?
Everyone, maybe? The only definitive statement here is that outfielder Fernando Tatis Jr. is off limits in any trade talks, but the Padres would probably love to offload the $60 million contract of second baseman Jake Cronenworth, and prominent relievers like Mason Miller, Adrian Morejon and Jeremiah Estrada have also been mentioned as trade candidates because they’d bring back multiple cheap, controllable players in return.