The Padres are heading into another defining winter, but this one carries a different kind of weight. For the first time, Kwanza Jones and Jose E. Feliciano will be steering the ship after buying the club for $3.9 billion earlier this year, and that alone makes this offseason stand out from the rest.
AJ Preller remains the man in charge of baseball operations, and he’s now entering his sixth full offseason directing the roster. He has been in the top baseball role since 2021 after taking over as general manager in 2014, making him the second-longest tenured GM in baseball. Under his watch, the Padres have reached the postseason four times in the last six years, but only once did they make it all the way to the National League Championship Series.
There’s no clear evidence that this is a true championship-or-bust moment, but the feeling around the organization suggests the clock is ticking toward 2027. The new ownership group has already made its intentions plain, saying it wants to win, and that message has made its way to the clubhouse.
Right-hander Joe Musgrove made that clear after the Padres were eliminated in the National League Division Series. He voiced confidence in the new owners and said the team is expecting action this winter.
“They’ve got our full support, and we know that they’re all about winning this thing,” Musgrove said. “So, we expect some moves in the offseason. You know: Revamp the group, get the pieces that we need and come back and make another run at it.”
That kind of expectation fits Preller’s reputation. He’s long been known as one of the most aggressive executives in the sport, and he has a history of finding creative ways to add talent while working around complicated financial obligations.
Those financial issues are very much in play now. Manny Machado, who turns 34 next season, still hit 30 home runs, but he also posted a career-low 1.5 bWAR and a .711 OPS. He is owed more than $39 million annually through 2033.
Xander Bogaerts will also be 34 next season, and he finished with a .676 OPS. His contract pays more than $25 million per year through 2033, and both veterans have no-trade protection if that ever becomes part of the conversation.
The pitching side may offer the biggest opening. Most of the starting rotation is headed for free agency, leaving the front office with a major chance to reshape the staff. At the same time, injuries and underwhelming performances pushed the bullpen into heavy duty, and it logged 647.2 regular season innings, the second-highest total in baseball.
That workload showed up again in October, but the bullpen’s regular-season value still has to be part of the Padres’ thinking this winter. Adrian Morejon is one of the biggest bullpen questions, and the 27-year-old left-hander could command a deal worth more than $90 million.
With future money already tied up and new owners now carrying a significant share of a $4 billion valuation, the challenge is obvious: keep enough flexibility to build around the roster while deciding how far to go to bring back key pieces. There are plenty of ways Preller and the Padres can attack the offseason, and if the club can make the kind of impact moves that match the second-half offense fans saw after the All-Star break, this winter could end up shaping the next few years.
In Other News...
Padres Take An Intriguing Flier On A 20-Year-Old Arm From Japan
The Padres added another arm to their system on October 15, agreeing to a minor league deal with 20-year-old right-hander Tatsuya Nogami and giving him a $300,000 signing bonus. It is the kind of low-risk, upside-minded move San Diego has been willing to make as it continues to hunt for pitching talent wherever it can find it.
Nogami comes to the organization without a professional track record in Japan, having pitched at Osaka Sangyo University instead. For a club that has not shied away from taking chances on younger arms, the appeal is obvious: there is time to develop him, and room to see whether his stuff can translate once he gets into the Padres' pipeline. [Read more 🡒]
Padres Prospect Radar Suddenly Has A New Name To Watch
Joe Tiroly arrived in the Padres system as a seventh-round pick, and his first taste of pro ball at Single-A Lake Elsinore gave the organization something it can always use more of: a bat that showed up quickly. In his first 22 professional games, the college transfer from Rider to Virginia produced seven home runs, then kept hitting all the way through a season that ended with a .321 batting average, 27 hits and a California League title for Lake Elsinore.
For a player who had already navigated a foot injury before beginning his pro career, the early return is encouraging enough to get him noticed well beyond draft value. The next question is how much of that power surge sticks as the competition gets tougher, but for now Tiroly has given the Padres a new name worth tracking in a system that is always looking for impact bats. [Read more 🡒]
Padres Rotation Reset Could Depend On One Costly October-Proven Arm
The Padres are staring at a rotation picture that could change fast, with seven starting pitchers potentially reaching free agency after the 2026 season. That kind of turnover puts pressure on the front office to think ahead, especially with so many innings and responsibilities possibly needing to be replaced at once.
Freddy Peralta has emerged as one of the more intriguing names in that conversation, a right-hander with a postseason track record that should appeal to a club looking for stability under October lights. San Diego already has enough financial commitments to make any major addition a careful decision, but a multi-year push for a pitcher of Peraltas caliber would fit the kind of rotation reset the Padres may need to pull off. [Read more 🡒]