The annual Major League Baseball General Manager Meetings in Las Vegas are behind us as teams are already competing with each other to snatch up available free agents.
Beyond signing left-handed pitcher Kyle Hart, the San Diego Padres haven’t made any major moves outside of signing a few players to minor league contracts. However, through free agency and perhaps through trades, the Padres are sure to be active this offseason.
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USA Today reporter Bob Nightengale, who was at the meetings in Las Vegas, posited that the Padres could make a deal involving one of their star players in a move that would shock San Diego fans.
Right fielder Fernando Tatis Jr. has been a fan favorite for years, earning All-Star nods in three of his six seasons with the Padres. San Diego rewarded Tatis for his stellar play before the 2021 season, signing the then-22-year-old to a 14-year deal worth $340 million, effectively keeping Tatis in San Diego for the remainder of his career.
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Now, the Padres might be considering dealing Tatis to free up space down the line.
“They certainly don’t want to trade him, and still may not listen now, but with all of their bloated and back-loaded contracts, someone is going to eventually have to depart,” Nightengale wrote in his extensive report on the goings-on of the general managers meeting.
Tatis, third baseman Manny Machado and shortstop Xander Bogaerts are all on long term deals that will account for a combined $101 million from 2029 until Bogaerts’ and Machado’s deals expire in 2033. Nine figures for three players is, to state the obvious, a lot — especially considering Bogaerts and Machado will be 41 by the time their contracts expire.
Additionally, as big-time free agents are making more and more money, Tatis’ contract “suddenly looks rather reasonable,” writes Nightengale. With star free agent outfielder Kyle Tucker likely to sign a deal worth anything from $35 million to $39 million in average annual value, the 26-year-old Tatis would be an appealing asset for teams across the league.
Whether he winds up on the trading block is the question, as the Padres purposely back-loaded his and his teammates’ contracts because San Diego is interested in competing for its first World Series title in franchise history. It would likely take an eyebrow-raising offer for the Padres to part with a cornerstone of their franchise this offseason.
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