There’s still a lot that will take place between now and Opening Day on March 27. With just over a month to go, the San Diego Padres’ only meaningful pickups so far this offseason have been the re-signing of Michael King, the signing of KBO star Sung-Mun Song and the latest addition of free agent outfielder Miguel Andujar. While these are great moves, they need more to become a truly threatening force in the National League West.
So what’s left for the Friars to do? For the purposes of this exercise, we will not include the bullpen (which is more or less set for San Diego). With that in mind, what should fans expect to see on Opening Day against the Detroit Tigers? Here’s a couple possibilities.
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The dream team
Starting Lineup
Starting Rotation
I get it. This looks unlikely (and slightly crazy). That’s why it’s the “everything goes right” possibility. Yu Darvish voids his contract, the team gets bought by a big spender before Spring Training ends, and someone like Jake Cronenworth gets traded in order to make some more room on the payroll.
This is the perfect scenario for the Padres. It gives them some thump from a bounceback candidate in Marcell Ozuna and a steady veteran presence in Paul Goldschmidt. Parker Messick slots into the rotation nicely as a rookie leftie, and Triston McKenzie performs well enough in Spring Training to earn his spot in the rotation.
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Obviously, Messick would require a trade with the Cleveland Guardians that would include a decent price tag, but he would not become a free agent until 2032 (and would be incredibly inexpensive until then). With additions like that, San Diego’s lineup and rotation look elite, giving them a real shot at slaying the dragon up the freeway.
The (slightly) more realistic dream
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This is more of where I think the Padres will end up. Picking up Ozuna for some added power and allowing Gavin Sheets to get reps at first base to build on his stellar first season in San Diego.
The addition of Patrick Corbin brings in a serviceable left-hander who could help anchor the back half of the rotation. These moves still probably require a trade to free up payroll and they’re smaller additions, but they could go a long way in the Friars’ return to October baseball.
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Where we’re at right now
Starting Lineup
Starting Rotation
Without any additions, the current team looks something like this. And this isn’t terrible. Not by a long shot. You have Pivetta and King anchoring the front end of a rotation (with some question marks at the back), and a lineup with some great bats in it. The problem is this looks less like a team that could take the NL West by storm and more of one that is going to fall into the purgatory of mediocrity.
Whether the Padres have any moves left remains to be seen, but general manager A.J. Preller has shown in years past that he is more than capable of pulling off a last-minute deal (like the 2024 trade for Dylan Cease announced the day the team left for the season opener in South Korea). Preller has shown that he is one of the more creative executives in MLB so it wouldn’t be surprising to see one or two more moves. Until then, all we can do is wait and watch the clock tick down to March 27.
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