Padres have $60 million reason to trade All-Star versatile infielder

Matt Sullivan

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Padres have $60 million reason to trade All-Star versatile infielder image

The San Diego Padres are one of the teams around baseball at risk of selling off some of their expensive veterans in the next few seasons. With a potential sale in the works, trading away some expensive contracts is within the realm of possibility.

While someone like Fernando Tatis Jr. Isn't likely to go anywhere, despite trade speculation, others could be realistic trade candidates this offseason.

MLB.com insider Mark Feinsand, thanks to a $60 million reason, believes the Padres could look to trade versatile All-Star infielder Jake Cronenworth this offseason.

Padres have $60 million reason to trade Jake Cronenworth

"Cronenworth regressed a bit after his back-to-back All-Star campaigns in 2021-2022," Feinsand writes, "but he rebounded last season, posting a 7.44 OPS with a career-high.367 on-base percentage in 135 games."

With a turnaround offensively in 2025, holding onto Cronenworth could be a more realistic outcome for the Padres. But, another angle to look at with his bounce-back 2025 season is that his trade value is better than it has been.

If he were coming off another down season, then the Padres would feel more inclined to trade him, but likely wouldn't be able to find a perfect landing spot.

But now, after a strong 2025 season, AJ Preller and the Padres could get a lot more in return for Cronenworth.

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"The versatile infielder signed for $60 million over the next five years," Feinsand writes, "So moving him would give the Padres some much-needed financial flexibility while likely being able to land a solid return."

Cronenworth with be 32 years old at the start of the season, and will be under control through the 2030 season. Any team acquiring Cronenworth would be getting a versatile infielder, at a reasonable cost, coming off a strong season.

While the Padres, in an ideal world, would keep Cronenworth, it's better to trade him for a solid return than to trade a player like Tatis or Xander Bogaerts.

Between the return package and the freed-up $60 million, the Padres' moving on from Cronenworth this offseason is a move to keep in mind, as Feinsand names him the Padres' best trade candidate this winter.

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