All-Star Trade Talks Intensify: Padres Explore Options for $80 Million Man

It’s a mystery what the San Diego Padres will do this offseason as the team has yet to make any major league signings or trades. However, there is speculation the Padres will make a trade involving All-Star infielder Jake Cronenworth.

The Padres are faced with massive player raises and are in somewhat of a financial pickle. While San Diego hopes to add talent, the team also wants to shed payroll. The latter likely won’t be possible without trading away players. ESPN’s Jeff Passan believes the organization could depart with Cronenworth this winter.

“San Diego general manager A.J. Preller, always willing to consider creative deals, could move infielders Jake Cronenworth or Luis Arraez,” Passan wrote. “With a paucity of on-the-dirt free agents, either would bring back a premium.”

Cronenworth just signed a seven-year, $80 million contract with the Padres in 2023. However, the Padres are once again trying to shed payroll. The goal of the organization inevitably means the Padres will lose talent on the roster in order to cut payroll.

The Padres have been quiet this winter, but Preller hinted at the Winter Meetings that there would be something unfolding in the near future. Nevertheless, the question remains: How will the Padres stay a contender, while simultaneously spending less?

The answer remains unknown, but Padres manager Mike Shildt is optimistic about the team’s chances next season.

“We’re not naive that there are certain organizations that have just more competitive advantages,” 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.”

While teams like the Los Angeles Dodgers have continued to add star power, the Padres have always used creative methods to keep up with their rivals in the NL West.