Padres offseason targets 2025: Greatest wants, most closely fits as San Diego tries to outrun close-but-no-cigar destiny

The San Diego Padres lately have made a behavior of being shut.  

They have been near being an excellent staff in 2020. They have been near the World Sequence in 2022, making the NLCS for the primary time since 1998. They have been near operating down the Dodgers late within the 2024 season for the NL West title. They have been near eliminating the Dodgers, once more, taking a 2-1 lead within the best-of-five NLDS. 

It is gotta be a bit tiring to proceed to return shut and never finally get the job accomplished. The 93 wins within the common season have been probably the most for the franchise since that 1998 pennant-winning staff, that means it was a profitable season — particularly coming off the heels of 82 wins in 2023 — however the close-but-no-cigar stuff has come to embody the Padres. 

Can they proceed to maneuver ahead with success solely this time round topple a titan and attain the World Sequence? How about successful the primary World Sequence for the franchise? 

That is the duty at hand for A.J. Preller’s entrance workplace. They’ve accomplished properly and gotten shut. It is time to cease messing round and dangle a banner. 

Key free brokers

• LF Jurickson Profar
• SS Ha-Seong Kim
• RP Tanner Scott
• SP Martín Pérez
• UT Donovan Solano
• C Kyle Higashioka
• C Elias Díaz
• OF David Peralta
• SS Nick Ahmed

Scott could be very more likely to signal someplace to be a better, so he is gone. The opposite massive needle-mover right here can be Profar and absolutely the Padres do every little thing they will to convey him again. He’ll be 32 subsequent season and is coming off a profession 12 months. He is by no means had an enormous contract, so now could be the time. The Padres would possibly lose him, however, once more, they’re going to do all they will right here. 

Greatest wants

If they cannot retain Profar, the Padres want to exchange his manufacturing with a nook outfielder. 

With Joe Musgrove set to overlook all of 2025 after present process Tommy John surgical procedure, the rotation may use assist behind Dylan Stop, Michael King and Yu Darvish. They’ve some choices in Matt Waldron and Randy Vasquéz however that is actually not sufficient to get you thru a complete season.

Shortstop could also be a consideration, however the Padres may at all times simply preserve Xander Bogaerts there, as he shifted there from second base as soon as Kim bought damage. 

Lastly, with each Higashioka and Díaz hitting free company, they want a backup catcher at naked minimal and an improve over Luis Campusano because the now-starter would not damage. 

Doable suits

Earlier than we proceed, it needs to be famous that there are very seemingly payroll constraints. The spending was tamped down as soon as proprietor Peter Seidler handed away and stories indicated the Padres wished to remain under the posh tax threshold final season. It is one of many causes they traded Juan Soto. As issues at present stand, the Padres seem like they’re going to have a payroll a contact underneath $200 million (after arbitration raises), however their determine for the posh tax is increased. Cots Contracts truly estimates that the Padres proper now are already over the $241 million luxurious tax. 

There are two faculties of thought right here. One, if the Padres are actually already over the posh tax, simply go together with the “who cares?” strategy like they’ve just a few occasions previously and go all out with out regard to the payroll. The opposite path can be buying and selling higher-salaried gamers to get underneath the tax. 

It is arduous to foretell what course Preller takes. We simply know they’d like a beginning pitcher, catcher and both Profar to return or a nook outfield bat. 

They may at all times convey again Profar and Kim and primarily run it again, although they’d nonetheless want to handle the rotation and catcher. 

Roki Sasaki – He is coming and it will not require breaking the proverbial financial institution to signal him.

Yusei Kikuchi – The lefty does not have a qualifying provide hooked up and is coming off an excellent 10-start stint with the Astros. 

Nathan Eovaldi – He heads to his age-35 season with in depth damage historical past and plenty of upside. 

Jack Flaherty – For the primary time since 2019, Flaherty simply put collectively a full and excellent season. He’ll be searching for a long-term deal, so he won’t work.

Walker Buehler – However, Buehler is coming off a horrible common season and could possibly be had on a one-year, incentive-laden deal. 

Luis Severino – He rebuilt his worth with an honest season for the Mets. He works as a mid-rotation starter, needs to be the worth be proper.

Shane Bieber – He is now a free agent, although his April 2024 Tommy John surgical procedure raises some pink flags, or at the least query marks. On condition that he’ll seemingly begin the season on the injured checklist, a short-term deal to rebuild his worth would make numerous sense. Possibly the Padres can land him.

Garrett Crochet – The lefty is underneath staff management via 2026 and will not be overly costly this coming season. He would, nevertheless, value a fairly penny in prospects by way of commerce. 

Sonny Grey – The Cardinals look like present process a fast rebuild they usually’d like to get out of a number of the cash due Grey. He is due $25 million in 2025 and $35 million in 2026. The Cardinals should eat a few of that with the intention to transfer him, however how a lot? And would that be sufficient for the Padres to leap in? 

Jordan Montgomery – The D-backs appear fairly determined to half with Montgomery after his disastrous 2024 season, that means they may be prepared to eat a big portion of the $22.5 million owed to him for 2025. If that is the case, he is a pleasant buy-low man and will work out very properly for San Diego. 

Brent Rooker – If the Padres want to exchange Profar, a commerce for Rooker may work. He is underneath staff management via 2027 and hit 39 homers with 112 RBI final season. 

Anthony Santander – In the event that they elect to hit free company to exchange Profar, maybe Santander suits. He hit 44 homers with a .506 slugging proportion final season. A whopping 32 of his dwelling runs got here as a lefty and an escape from “Walltimore” at dwelling may assist rack up these bombs from the precise aspect. 

Bo Bichette – If the Blue Jays resolve to make Bichette out there, the Padres may try to swing one thing for him. It might put Bichette at shortstop and Bogaerts at second, strikes that additionally put Jake Cronenworth at first base and presumably enable them to strive Luis Arraez in left subject (he performed there 27 occasions in 2021). It’s kind of outdoors the field, however that is how Preller operates at occasions.

Catchers – They may convey again Higashioka or seize a free agent on a budget, equivalent to Travis d’Arnaud, James McCann, Jacob Stallings or Yasmani Grandal. It is slim pickings on the market.