Padres General Manager Reveals 2 Biggest Position Groups He's Working on Improving

The Padres front office has a lot of work to do this winter.

The San Diego Padres are coming off one of the most disappointing seasons in recent memory, and they enter the offseason with a lot more questions than answers. Not only do they need to figure out what went wrong last season, but they also will need to decide how to build a more well-rounded roster.

The front office went all in over the last few seasons, and it came back to really hurt them this past year. They didn’t have strong depth, and their stars all had down years while trying to live up to the high expectations placed on the organization.

Padres president of baseball operations A.J. Preller gave some insight into the priorities of the team with the Winter Meetings going on.

“I think it’s clear,” President of Baseball Operations A.J. Preller said Monday. “... Starting pitching and (bullpen) are the two areas that we’ve got the two biggest needs right now.”

Per A.J. Preller via The San Diego Union-Tribune

As for their starting rotation, the team is expected to lose multiple arms from their pitching staff last season. Right-hander Nick Martinez has already signed with the Cincinnati Reds, and they also are likely to lose Blake Snell, Michael Wacha and Seth Lugo.

That is a lot of production that the front office will need to fill, but the issue is that the Padres are also trying to cut salaries in the process simultaneously. It’s why they are looking to trade away star outfielder Juan Soto this offseason.

They are also primed to lose closer Josh Hader on the open market, marking another open spot that will need to be filled. They do have reliever Robert Suárez ready to go and he seems to be the likely candidate to replace Hader in the bullpen.

San Diego has a lot of work to do to get themselves back into a place of contention, not only for next season but down the line. They need to start thinking with both the present and long-term in mind when making any moves.