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The San Diego Padres had their most successful season since 1998, when they lost the World Series, in 2022, when they won 89 games and went all the way to the NLCS, where they lost to the streaking Philadelphia Phillies. The Padres can’t help but push their chips into the table, as they sent away a ton of young prospects for Juan Soto during last season’s trade deadline to add to their army of elite hitters led by Manny Machado and Jake Cronenworth.
Now armed with even higher hopes following last season’s deep playoff run, the Padres, led by president of baseball operations A.J. Preller, are doing all they can to cement themselves as legitimate World Series contenders. The Padres, on Wednesday night, signed shortstop Xander Bogaerts to an 11-year, $280 million deal to bolster what already was an elite infield. But it seems like San Diego isn’t done wheeling and dealing just yet.
The Padres are reportedly still looking to add a “veteran starting pitcher” and another hitter, per Kevin Acee of the San Diego-Union Tribune. Trent Grisham, their current starting center fielder, could be used as trade bait despite his elite defense and emergence in the postseason.
It’s unclear what the Padres’ budget is for other remaining moves following their offseason splurge. It stands to reason, however, that the Padres have more cash to spare despite being a historically small-market team, given their spending habits this offseason.
The return of Fernando Tatis Jr. could be the “big bat” the Padres are looking for, although it’s unclear yet whether he could match his past level of performance coming off a PED-related suspension. Meanwhile, there are still tons of veteran options in the starting pitching market, with Corey Kluber, Zack Greinke, and Nathan Eovaldi as potential targets. Nevertheless, Padres fans must stay tuned for their current roster isn’t quite set in stone.