After sitting out the first few months of the winter because of an ownership squabble, the San Diego Padres are using the final days of the offseason to make some noteworthy additions of their own.
On Thursday, the Padres announced they had signed left-hander Kyle Hart, returning from South Korea after a stint in the KBO league, to a one-year deal with a club option for the 2026 season. Hart’s inking comes on the heels of the Padres reaching terms with fellow free-agent starter Nick Pivetta on a four-year contract worth $55 million. (Pivetta’s agreement includes multiple opt-out opportunities that could alter its final shape.) Add in the Padres’ other recent maneuvering — signing free-agent catcher Elias Díaz and outfielders Jason Heyward and Connor Joe — and executive A.J. Preller has successfully turned over a fifth of his roster in about a month’s time.
What’s left on Preller’s to-do list? Let’s turn to a convenient subheading format for the answer.
1. Cease, King trades now unlikely?
It’s only natural to look at the Pivetta and Hart signings and wonder if the Padres intend to trade an incumbent starter. Both Dylan Cease and Michael King are slated for free agency this upcoming winter (though King recently inked a deal that includes a mutual option for next season), causing their names to pop up on the rumor mill. By moving one or the other, the Padres would free up immediate funds while also fetching a return that could help now and later.
Yet it doesn’t appear that the Padres had an immediate follow-up move in mind here.
The Athletic’s Dennis Lin reported on Thursday that the backloaded structure of Pivetta’s deal (he’ll earn a $1 million salary this season along with a $3 million signing bonus), could actually increase the chances that Cease remains with the Padres through at least the beginning of the season.
The Padres, who will conduct their business in 2025 without injured starter Joe Musgrove, could field a rotation of Cease, King, Pivetta, Hart, and Yu Darvish. The natural course of the season would then dictate if San Diego moves Cease or King before their date with free agency.
2. What about Suarez?
Cease and King seem to be sticking around San Diego, but the same may not be true for closer Robert Suarez. The Athletic notes that a deal involving Suarez “remains at least a decent possibility.”
Suarez, 33, is fresh off an All-Star season that saw him post a 2.77 ERA (149 ERA+) and a 3.69 strikeout-to-walk ratio across 65 innings. He’s owed $10 million this upcoming season, with an opt-out opportunity to follow. Moving Suarez would relieve some of the financial stress the Padres are under without necessarily having the same cascading effect that dealing Cease or King would.
If the Padres deal Suarez, they would likely slot in Jason Adam or Jeremiah Estrada as closer.
3. How’s their payroll situation?
With Pivetta and Hart in tow, the Padres are now sporting a projected Opening Day payroll of $207 million, according to FanGraphs. While that puts them well beneath the first luxury tax line, it’s still a significant increase over the $169 million they were estimated to have finished at last season.
It’s no wonder, then, that the Padres have been rumored to have interest in trading various veterans throughout the offseason. That group ranges from Cease and King to infielder Luis Arráez (himself a free agent come the offseason) and beyond.
Preller is no stranger to making deals at times when other general managers dare not — he traded for Cease on March 13 and Arráez on May 4 — suggesting that he’ll continue to work the phones with eyes on improving his team’s roster and financial situation.
