Fernando Tatis Jr. isn’t going anywhere.
That’s what Padres general manager A.J. Preller claimed at the winter meetings this week despite trade rumors swirling around the superstar outfielder.
“He’s somebody that … we’re not talking about (trading),” Preller told The Athletic. “So, however you want to view that, if you want to say that’s untouchable, you can say that.”
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Preller, who has long been known to love making blockbuster moves, echoed the same sentiment to the San Diego Union-Tribune.
San Diego Padres general manager A.J. Preller looks on during a press conference at Petco Park. USA TODAY Sports
“He’s one of the best players in baseball, is a two-time Platinum [Glove] winner,” Preller said. “The guy has taken over portions of seasons and games and playoff series and everything like that. … Every one of the different versions and iterations of the team and roster we put up there, it’s ’Tati’ right in the middle. Hopefully, he is one of the top players on our team this year. 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.”
Tatis, who turns 27 in January, recently surfaced in trade rumors as the Padres face a bit of a payroll crunch with several big-money players on the books for 2026 and beyond.
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In 2025, Tatis hit .268 with an .814 OPS and 25 home runs while finishing eighth in the voting for the National League MVP Award.
San Diego Padres’ Fernando Tatis Jr. reacts after striking out during the eighth inning of Game 1 of a National League wild card baseball game Tuesday, Sept. 30, 2025, in Chicago. AP
Tatis also took home the Platinum Glove in the NL, which honors the top fielder in the league.
There are nine years and $286 million remaining on the massive extension Tatis signed before the 2021 season.
Padres chairman John Seidler said earlier this week that the franchise’s payroll, which sat around $224 million last season, will “remain at a similar level” in 2026.
In November, Seidler, the control person of the franchise, announced that the ownership group is exploring a sale.
The announcement came almost exactly two years after the day former chairman Peter Seidler, John’s father, died, which has since led to family infighting over team control.