Padres Insider Says Not to Rule Out Blockbuster Move Before Opening Day

Valentina Martinez | Mar 12, 2025

Sep 4, 2024; San Diego, California, USA; San Diego Padres general manager A.J. Preller looks on before a game against the Detroit Tigers at Petco Park. Mandatory Credit: Denis Poroy-Imagn Images / Denis Poroy-Imagn Images

Throughout his tenure in San Diego, president of baseball operations A.J. Preller has largely operated under the element of surprise when it comes to offseason acquisitions.

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This offseason should be no different, according to Padres insider AJ Cassavell.

"Just when you think the Padres’ are done making moves -- that’s usually when A.J. Preller strikes," Cassavell writes. "The Padres’ general manager has made a habit of pulling late-spring stunners. Recent acquisitions of Cease and Sean Manaea come to mind.

"Is there something else up Preller’s sleeve this spring? You wouldn’t rule it out after an entire winter’s worth of rumors amounted to very little."

At FanFest, Preller did say he expects the Padres to enter the season with a "championship roster." The Friars have lost a number of key players to free agency, such as Jurickson Profar, Tanner Scott, and Ha-Seong Kim.

It remains unclear whether the Padres have been able to make up for that loss with the small number of signings the team has made throughout the offseason. The Padres appeared to prioritize Japanese phenom Roki Sasaki's free agency process this winter, but San Diego was ultimately not the team he chose.

“At the end of the day, we want players that want to be here,” Preller said at the time. “We’ll move forward and look to add to a really talented roster.

The majority of the offseason has been quiet for the Friars, but a blockbuster trade could always be on the horizon.

Right-handed pitchers Dylan Cease and Michael King have been in trade rumors all offseason long, and as more pitcher injuries occur in spring training, the more likely it is a team gets desperate.

Other candidates include infielder Luis Arraez and reliever Robert Suarez. Impressive camps from some of the team's non-roster invites could push them to make one of these cost-cutting moves.

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For more Padres news, head over to Padres on SI.