Padres Looking to Take Advantage of Late Offseason Free Agent Holdouts

San Diego is waiting for the right time to strike.

The San Diego Padres have been one of the least active teams in free agency so far. This has been by design, as they've been looking to shed salary.

They traded away star outfielder Juan Soto and Trent Grisham to the New York Yankees in exchange for five players, while letting some of the best players from their 2023 roster leave in free agency. Other than that, it's been quiet on the San Diego front.

Padres president of baseball operations A.J. Preller explained the flexibility the moves they've made give the team. He also mentioned that if they wait to be active on the free agent market, they might be able to land some impact players relatively cheap.

“Just having some dollar flexibility,” Padres President of Baseball Operations A.J. Preller said. “Obviously, you’ve got to be able to spend on players. Hopefully in the next couple weeks, whether it’s trade or free agent, when the market kind of stabilizes, guys get to January and they’re looking for places to play, there might be some good buys out there.”

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

The market has been slower this year than in others, in part due to the level of talent at the top. Two-way superstar Shohei Ohtani was holding up much of the off-season, but now that he has signed, things are expected to open up more.

The next major free agent domino to fall could be pitcher Yoshinobu Yamamoto. Once he signs, the big-market teams that come up short in their pursuit of Yamamoto will be free to spur more action in the market.

Some players and their agents like to hold out for the "best" offer, while others must wait for their market to emerge. This is when the Padres can look to strike before the 2024 season begins. 

While the team has been trying to shed salary, they're also looking to remain competitive. And if they can land an impact player for a value Preller is comfortable with, the Padres will jump at the chance.

The absence of action does not mean an absence of thought to the Padres' approach to this off-season. They can still emerge from the winter with quality talent. The front office might simply need to get creative going about it.