The San Diego Padres have experienced a quiet offseason since their resurgent 2024 campaign ended in the NLDS.
After nearly defeating the eventual World Series champion Los Angeles Dodgers in the playoffs, the Padres have made no major additions or moves to improve their championship prospects for the following season.
During the Padres Fan Fest on Saturday, third baseman Manny Machado expressed his disappointment with the team’s lack of movements this offseason.
“Are we disappointed that we haven’t made any progress? “Yes,” Machado told the media. “As a team, you look out there and you’re a little disappointed that you let some of the guys that were a core group here go elsewhere, but at the end of the day we can’t control that.”
Padres rookie star Jackson Merrill has a considerably more upbeat outlook on the Padres’ unremarkable summer. “I kind of like it being quiet though,” Merrill added. “… Whatever team we have out there on that field, we’re going to be able to dominate and compete with any team.”
The Padres have not only made no significant acquisitions this summer, but they have also seen some of their own players from last season go in free agency. Among those players, reliever Tanner Scott left for the Dodgers, Jurickson Profar signed with the Atlanta Braves, and shortstop Ha-Seong Kim agreed to terms with the Tampa Bay Rays.
Meanwhile, the Dodgers, the Padres’ main division foe, have continued to expand the distance between themselves and the rest of MLB by signing a number of quality free agents this summer, including Scott and former Cy Young winner Blake Snell. Though no team has been able to keep up with the Dodgers’ aggressive winter endeavours, the Padres have fallen significantly short by failing to sign Roki Sasaki or at least one key free agent, which will not help San Diego as it attempts to overcome the Dodgers in the division and World Series competition.
As recently as 2023, the Padres were one of the league’s most active clubs, with late owner Peter Seidler signing Machado, Xander Bogaerts, and Snell, as well as trading for Juan Soto. Since Seidler’s death, the Padres have reduced their expenditures, and Seidler’s widow, Sheel Seidler, and brothers, Matt and Bob Seidler, are currently embroiled in a legal dispute over franchise control, which will likely limit the team’s capacity to make more additions to improve the squad.
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