With the MLB trade deadline still weeks away, the San Diego Padres have already pulled off two major trade blockbusters, adding reigning batting champion Luis Arraez in May and frontline starter Dylan Cease in March.
But the Padres can hardly afford to stop there. The front office has made a massive financial commitment to a handful of star players with largely diminishing returns, making the upcoming deadline one of its last chances to cash in on the spending.
Leading the front office since 2014, Padres general manager A.J. Preller has committed more than $1.25 billion to six players over the next decade. Joe Musgrove has a five-year, $100 million contract that runs through 2027; Yu Darvish has a six-year, $108 million contract that runs through 2028; Jake Cronenworth has a seven-year, $80 million contract that runs through 2030; Manny Machado has an 11-year, $350 million contract that runs through 2033; Xander Bogaerts has an 11-year, $280 million contract that runs through 2033; and Fernando Tatis Jr. has a 14-year, $340 million contract through 2034.
Those figures mean that, as of now, the Padres rank 15th in spending this season but are currently on the hook for MLB’s largest payrolls in 2027, 2028, 2029 and 2030. But the productive windows for most of those players appear to be closing quickly and this could be one of the final chances to capitalize on the commitment.
Tatis, for one, could still have his best years ahead. In 308 at bats this season, he improved on the numbers that earned him MVP votes last season with a .279/.354/.821 slash line before going down with an injury that might keep him out until late July. Cronenworth has been consistent with a .251/.330/.421 career slash line. Machado has hit for a middling .268/.318/.408 and leads MLB in double plays grounded into. Bogaerts, who fractured his shoulder in May, was moved out of the shortstop position to start this season and has a .219 batting average since. Darvish and Musgrove are both on the injured list.
