Hyper Aggressive Offseason Is Only Route Padres Can Take

The Winter Meetings are now just a month away, although the likelihood of them actually taking place is fairly grim as it stands with the looming lockout. With the uncertainty in the baseball world due to the current CBA expiring on December 1, there is expected to be more early signings this offseason.

For the San Diego Padres, that means they have to get out in front while they can. They enter this winter with some huge boxes to check on their offseason list. Before even considering going out and acquiring some new faces, they have several questions to answer about their own stars who are now free agents.

Starters Michael King, Nick Pivetta, Casey Mize, Robbie Ray, and Walker Buehler are all on the open market. That leaves the Padres’ rotation barren as it stands, and it’s something that needs to be seriously addressed by general manager A.J. Preller quickly. He has to figure out how many, if any, he will be bringing back before other teams get the chance to pounce.

San Diego also has relievers Adrian Morejon and Jason Adam testing the market, while first baseman Ty France will be signing a new contract as well. With so many players crucial to their 91-win season now in free agency, the Padres have a huge uphill battle to climb in terms of not only fielding a team that is up to par with last season’s, but one that can go even further.

With that, it’s no surprise they are expected to be one of the most aggressive teams in baseball this free agency, according to Bleacher Report.

Things are made easier for the Padres in the fact that their lineup is in good shape, with the only areas of concern being first base, with France potentially leaving and adding another corner outfielder. France’s surprise season may keep teams wary of signing him to the big bucks, making it easier for San Diego to bring him back to solve that problem easily. Still, even assuming they don’t sign a single player to address those needs, the Padres wouldn’t be in a completely terrible spot.

Given the current situation, the position players should be an afterthought. Even if you are optimistic and assume King and Pivetta will be brought back, the 2027 starting rotation would still need more. A returning Joe Musgrove and Yu Darvish have too many questions surrounding them to be satisfied with few additions this free agency.

The new owners in San Diego should be giving the green light to Preller and the front office this free agency, considering it will be their first since taking over the club officially back in August. Looking to make a splash after falling to the eventual World Series champions, the method of swinging for the fences that the Padres have become accustomed to should be no different this winter.

San Diego has been one of the most exciting teams in baseball year after year. With the many stars on its roster, the Padres are in the best era of their franchise’s history. While they're in it, they need to go for more. An average free agency window won’t do for Padres fans. We need to see real aggressiveness and confidence in the coming weeks, or else the window may close sooner than we think.

The month of November will be a consequential one for the Friars.