Padres Reunion Dream Dashed: Key Free Agents Return Now Unlikely

A busy month should lie ahead for the San Diego Padres.

While their top priority should be signing Japanese free agent pitcher Roki Sasaki, he isn’t being posted until early 2025 giving them ample time to re-sign a couple of their 2024 stars and figure out how to fill some of their vacant positions.

The glaring hole is at shortstop and general manager A.J. Preller has mentioned on multiple occasions that he wants an answer for that position earlier than he did in 2024.

“I would think,” Preller said, “we’ll be able to have an earlier idea of how things are going to unfold.”

Last year, the Padres were still considering trade options for Ha-Seong Kim well into mid-February. Ultimately, they decided to keep Kim, who was in his final year before free agency. As a result, Xander Bogaerts didn’t learn he’d be transitioning to second base until the day he reported to spring training.

Unfortunately, a shoulder injury ended Kim’s season early and Bogaerts was forced to move back to the other side of second base.

According to Padres beat writer AJ Cassavell of MLB.com, re-signing Kim seems unlikely at this point.

“A Kim reunion remains unlikely but possible (though Kim will miss the early part of the season anyway while he recovers from shoulder surgery). The Padres don’t appear to be in the mix for Willy Adames, the market’s top shortstop,” Cassavell writes.

“So if they’re going to find a regular shortstop this winter, they’ll probably have to make a trade.”

The best option for the Padres, according to Cassavell, is for Bogaerts to stay at second base where he proved during this past season to be better there than at shortstop.

However, it is possible that with prospect Leodalis De Vries rising through the farm system that the Padres keep Bogaerts at shortstop until the time comes for the teenager to be called up.

“With 18-year-old Leodalis De Vries – the Padres’ No. 2 prospect (MLB Pipeline’s No. 28 overall) – on the horizon, the Padres could simply use Bogaerts as a stopgap for ’25, before eventually moving him back to second,” says Cassavell.

Regardless of what the Padres choose, Preller is in quite the pickle as he has to decide in just a matter of months on the future of his club. But, as he has proven time and time again, he always seems to have at least one trick up his sleeve.