Padres Expected to Extend Qualifying Offer For Two Players This Offseason
Some of the Padres' best players are set to hit the open market this winter but San Diego's wishes to keep them will cost them a pretty penny.
GM AJ Preller now has some qualifying offer choices to make on two of baseball's best arms who dominated in attempts to bring both back to Petco Park.
So, for example, you can expect qualifying offers for Shohei Ohtani (Angels), Blake Snell (Padres), Cody Bellinger (Cubs) and Aaron Nola (Phillies). The Twins, with Sonny Gray, and the Blue Jays, with Matt Chapman, are probable. Will the Padres do it with a reliever, Josh Hader? Probably?
Blake Snell pitched a masterful 2023 season in his third year with San Diego after his acquisition from Tampa Bay.
The southpaw earned plenty of criticism for his high walk rate but prevented runs from crossing the plate better than any other arm in MLB this year.
A likely winner of his second Cy Young award, Snell pitched to a league-best 2.25 ERA mark and struck out 234 batters over 180 innings of work.
Early signs indicate that Snell will become just the eighth man in baseball history to win the Cy Young in both the AL and NL after he first accomplished the feat in 2018 while with the Rays.
Hader's 2023 season ended strangely after jabs at the media but it's hard to argue with the closer's dominant production on the field.
The former Brewers reliever earned another All-Star nod in his second season with San Diego after a 1.28 ERA, 85 strikeouts and 33 saves in 56 innings for the team.
Both pitchers will command some large contracts this offseason but Preller would be wise to extend qualifying offers on both arms in efforts to keep them long-term, or recoup a draft pick if they sign elsewhere.
