Padres GM Hints at Major Moves Coming After Winter Meetings

Valentina Martinez | 7 Hours Ago

July 24, 2020; San Diego, California, USA; San Diego Padres general manager AJ Preller looks on before the game against the Arizona Diamondbacks at Petco Park. Mandatory Credit: Orlando Ramirez-Imagn Images / Orlando Ramirez-Imagn Images

The San Diego Padres have to do the impossible this offseason. While trying to add talent to propel the team to the World Series, the Padres also have to spend less money doing so.

The Padres haven't made much noise this winter, but president of baseball operations A.J. Preller insists that it's not for lack of opportunities.

“We definitely have a lot of things that we were able to do and could line up on,” Preller told Kevin Acee of The San Diego Union-Tribune at the Winter Meetings in Dallas. “We’ll see where it all takes us in the next couple weeks. … Even though we haven’t lined up on anything from a trade or free-agent standpoint, it’s been super active. Way further ahead from a knowledge standpoint today than we were when we got here on Sunday.”

In 2023, the Padres shed almost $100 million in payroll. But the Padres also managed to improve their win total that season.

Spending the most money doesn't always guarantee a quality team. In recent seasons, the Padres have found a way to stay competitive while also spending less. The organization hopes to do the same in 2025.

“We’re not naive that there are certain organizations that have just more competitive advantages,” manager Mike Shildt said. “That’s no state secret, right? We live that every day. I can look at that, and we can look at that as, ‘Oh, woe is us. We don’t have the resources. We don’t have the flexibility. We don’t have the payroll or the income streams.’ And that can be absolutely accurate and factual, and it is. The reality from my seat, our clubhouse seat, our team seat is, it’s still a game that requires you to play right, compete a certain way, play the game a certain way. Clearly the more resources you have, the more talent you can accrue, and that’s real. Talent shows up. We can’t kid ourselves. But effectively it’s about how we’re going to figure out a way to compete and play the game right with the ability that we’ve been given.”

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While teams around the National League West have already spent millions, the Padres have yet to make any major league signings. But Preller hinted toward pending moves following the Winter Meetings.

Based on Preller's comments, it sounds like a signing or trade could be imminent in San Diego.