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After exceeding the luxurious tax restrict in every of the final two seasons, the Padres aren’t slowing down their spending. Signing Xander Bogaerts to an 11-year, $280MM deal was the splashiest transfer of a busy offseason, however San Diego additionally made vital investments to re-sign Nick Martinez and Robert Suarez, in addition to herald different new skills in Seth Lugo and Matt Carpenter. The Padres additionally checked in on any variety of different gamers, together with Aaron Judge, Trea Turner, Christian Vazquez, Jose Abreu, Kodai Senga, Chris Bassitt, and Nathan Eovaldi.
The result’s a projected $249.4MM payroll for 2023 is the best in membership historical past, in addition to estimated tax variety of roughly $266.6MM. Nevertheless, in accordance with Dennis Lin of The Athletic, “individuals aware of the workforce’s pondering say the Padres are up in opposition to a self-prescribed spending restrict.” This restrict isn’t essentially absolute, since as Lin notes, the inner spending restrict is in the end as much as proprietor Peter Seidler, who may resolve to once more green-light an enormous expenditure if it means getting the Padres a step nearer to a World Collection title.
Nonetheless, it might look like payroll house could be at one thing of a premium, given San Diego’s most up-to-date strikes. Adam Engel was signed to a one-year guaranteed deal, and whereas phrases aren’t but identified, it’s secure to imagine Engel isn’t getting greater than the $2.3MM he was projected to earn in arbitration. Brent Honeywell was signed to a cut up contract, whereas Wilmer Font and Eric Hanhold had been inked to minor league offers. Naturally, all groups (regardless of the payroll) search for lower-cost depth because the offseason goes on, however the Padres nonetheless have some notable wants that will require an even bigger repair.
President of baseball operations AJ Preller isn’t any stranger to artistic trades, so the Padres may look to handle these wants whereas liberating up some wage on the identical time. For example, the Padres have at least some openness to shifting infielder Ha-Seong Kim, who has a $7MM luxurious tax quantity (primarily based on common annual worth) and who’s owed $25MM over subsequent two seasons. Trent Grisham has additionally been floated as a doable commerce candidate, although Grisham is among the many less-expensive members of San Diego’s roster. Courting again to final season, there has lengthy been hypothesis that Blake Snell (owed $16MM in 2023) might be dealt, even when such a transfer wouldn’t assist repair the depth points within the Padres’ rotation.
Between trades and promotions, the Padres’ farm system has misplaced a number of its depth; Baseball America rated the Padres solely twenty third of 30 groups in its midseason organizational expertise rankings. As such, this might complicate the idea of San Diego attaching a prospect or two to an undesirable contract in commerce talks. For example, Drew Pomeranz missed all of 2022 recovering from flexor tendon surgical procedure, and the reliever is owed $10MM in 2023. A rebuilding workforce might be enticed to take Pomeranz’s deal off the Padres’ books if some minor league expertise was added as a sweetener, besides San Diego may not have the prospects to spare.
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