Padres Could Open Camp Without Making Another Big League Transaction

San Diego has been relatively quiet this offseason.

The San Diego Padres have been relatively quiet this winter compared to this time a year ago (when Xander Bogaerts and Manny Machado signed or re-signed megadeals), or 2020-21 (when Blake Snell, Yu Darvish, and Joe Musgrove were acquired in trades). 

This winter, front office has emphasized shedding salary, and it has resulted in them losing multiple players in free agency as well as Juan Soto in a blockbuster trade.

There have been reports about the Padres wanting to get their payroll for the 2024 season down to around $200 million. It remains to be seen if they will be able to do that, especially since they still have a few holes to fill on the roster.

According to Cot's Contracts, the Padres' 40-man payroll currently projects to $161 million in actual dollars and $219.6 million for competitive balance tax purposes. Roster Resource puts those numbers at $158.9 million and $215.4 million, respectively.

However, it seems possible the Padres do not make any more significant moves prior to big league camp getting underway. Padres president of baseball operations A.J. Preller confirmed the team wouldn't make a move for the sake of making a move.

“But maybe it’s something, too, where you get into spring training, and you’re constantly looking to improve your team throughout the season. If we don’t find something we line up on, we’re not just going to try to make a move to make a move." 

Per A.J. Preller via The Athletic

San Diego has continued to operate in the hope of remaining competitive this coming season. They still have plenty of talent on their roster, and they've added some quality smaller pieces to the mix this winter.

"We feel like we have a group of pitchers and position players that we’re going to give opportunity to, and we have some younger guys as well that have come through the system that we feel good about and we think are going to show well in camp and are going to be prepared to play in the big leagues this year. So, we’re weighing all that out. We’re always looking to improve, but we’re not just going to force something just to make a move.”

Per A.J. Preller via The Athletic

After a disastrous 2023 season, the Padres are hopeful to return to the postseason this year. They'll have to do so within a tighter budget and, now, with time running out before Cactus League games fire up.