The San Diego Padres haven't gotten off to a great start this offseason. For starters, they lost out on Dylan Cease, as he agreed to sign with the Toronto Blue Jays. They also received more bad news on Thursday when Robert Suarez agreed to a contract with the Atlanta Braves.
A large reason for these departures are due to San Diego's unwillingness to spend. After a $257.2 million payroll in 2023, the Padres dipped to $172 million in 2024. In 2025, the team spent around $220 million on their players, a total that will likely remain the same.
“We anticipate payroll will remain at a similar level to last year….We’re operating the club as we have for the last five or six years,” said Padres chairman John Seidler.
As a result, the Padres could endure even more subtractions with Michael King and Luis Arraez testing free agency.
With payroll lower than in seasons past, the Padres have looked to the trade market to improve their roster. That said, president A.J. Preller gave encouraging news surrounding Fernando Tatis Jr.'s future with the club. "He’s somebody that we’re not talking about, however you want to say that. If you want to say that’s ’untouchable,’ you can say that.” Said Preller.
Having traded for Juan Soto, Mason Miller and Dylan Cease, Preller is no stranger to making big moves. With that in mind, fans will be encouraged to know that Tatis Jr.'s name will not be involved in any trade speculation for the near future.