The Padres missed out on one of their top offseason targets this weekend, as the St. Louis Cardinals sent catcher Willson Contreras to the Boston Red Sox in a multi-player deal.
San Diego had been eyeing Contreras as a potential solution at first base - yes, first base - as the club braces for the likely departures of both Luis Arráez and Ryan O’Hearn in free agency. With Contreras off the board, the Padres’ search for stability at the corner infield spot continues.
But the door with St. Louis may not be closed just yet.
The Cardinals are clearly in the early stages of a roster retool - if not a full-blown rebuild - and that opens the door for more potential movement. San Diego, meanwhile, still has holes to patch beyond first base, including the rotation, the bullpen, and behind the plate. If the Padres are going to stay competitive in a loaded National League, they’ll need to get creative - and aggressive - in filling those needs.
One name that continues to surface in trade chatter is Cardinals second baseman Brendan Donovan. He’s versatile, he’s under control, and he fits the mold of the kind of player A.J.
Preller tends to covet: young, athletic, and capable of playing multiple positions. Whether Donovan is actually available remains to be seen, but with St.
Louis clearly open for business, it wouldn’t be surprising if San Diego at least made the call.
And let’s not forget the bullpen - a department where Preller has never been shy about stacking talent. Just look back to the trade deadline, when he pulled off a surprise move to land flame-throwing righty Mason Miller. That deal came even as the Padres already had a solid back-end group in place.
Still, there’s a notable loss to address: Robert Suárez, one of the team’s top relievers, signed a three-year, $45 million deal with the Braves. That leaves San Diego with Miller, Jason Adam, Jeremiah Estrada, and Adrian Morejón as the core of the bullpen - a solid group, but one that could use another high-leverage arm, especially from the left side.
That’s where JoJo Romero enters the conversation.
Romero is coming off a breakout 2025 campaign in St. Louis, logging a career-high 61 innings with a sparkling 2.07 ERA.
He’s not overpowering - his fastball velocity doesn’t jump off the page - but he makes up for it with a nasty slider and elite ground ball rates. In fact, his 57.1% ground ball rate last season ranked among the best in the league.
That kind of profile would be a welcome addition to a Padres bullpen that’s light on left-handed options outside of Morejón. Romero is under team control through 2026, but with the Cardinals looking ahead, it might make sense for them to move him now while his value is high.
So while the Padres didn’t land Contreras, that doesn’t mean the lines of communication with the Cardinals are closed. If anything, this could be the beginning of a broader conversation - one that might lead to San Diego filling a few more of its roster holes before Opening Day.
One thing’s for sure: Preller’s not done.