New San Diego Padres Manager Craig Stammen made the rounds at the MLB Winter Meetings, Monday.  He spoke with various reporters and joined the MLB Network crew for additional conversation. One of the most notable statements made by Stammen was about the future of his bullpen. According to the manager and Padres general manager A.J. Preller, Mason Miller, Adrian Morejon and David Morgan will all remain in the ‘pen – for now. Stammen provided insight into many other topics including his coaching staff, Fernando Tatis Jr. and the World Baseball Classic and Cheri Bell of Gaslamp Ball highlighted each of those topics and more.

Padres News:

San Diego has been a key team in much of the speculation at the MLB Winter Meetings. Industry expectation is that Preller will pull off some kind of trade, but to what extent is unknown. Names like Jake Cronenworth, Nick Pivetta and Jeremiah Estrada have been tossed around the rumor mill but no trade is imminent. That could change at any moment, and reports have stated Preller is working multiple angles to address San Deigo’s needs.

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San Diego will see Manny Machado and Fernando Tatis Jr. competing in the WBC for the Dominican Republic and it is expected that Xander Bogaerts will again compete for the Netherlands. There are other players on the Padres roster, who could potentially miss time in Spring Training, but those announcements have not been made.

Logan White, who was selected as one of the Scouts of the Year in the MLB, also announced his retirement, bringing his successful career with the Padres to an end. First a manager and now a top scout?

Baseball News:

After a bit of speculation that Kyle Schwarber might actually play somewhere other than Philadelphia next season, he put an end to all the talk re-signing with the Phillies on a five-year, $150 million contract. The Baltimore Orioles were said to have matched the offer, but the slugger chose to return to Philly.

The Los Angeles Dodgers continued their offseason spending ways that dominated much of the 2024 offseason. They added free-agent closer Edwin Diaz on a three-year, $69 million contract Monday. There were reports the Dodgers were considering Robert Suarez, and with their seemingly unlimited amount of money, they might still add him, but that seems unlikely with the Diaz signing.

The Chicago White Sox won the Draft Lottery and will have the No.1 overall selection in the 2026 MLB Draft. The Tampa Bay Rays, Minnesota Twins, San Francisco Giants and Pittsburgh Pirates will follow to complete the top five selections.

Surprising no one, the Dodgers may not be done spending. There is a report Los Angeles could try to land Kyle Tucker on a short-term deal. Tucker is regarded as the top free-agent position player on the market.