Padres in Active Trade Discussions, Says GM AJ Preller; Ha-Seong Kim Drawing Strong Interest
The San Diego Padres' roster is likely not yet complete as their March 20 season opener against the Los Angeles Dodgers in Korea nears.
General manager A.J. Preller spoke to Bob Nightengale of USA Today on Tuesday, and said the team still has wiggle room in their budget to add more pieces. He also said they continue to be in active trade discussions.
Gold Glove infielder Ha-Seong Kim continues to draw strong interest, and he's set to hit free agency after the 2024 season.
With big contracts already given out to Fernando Tatis Jr., Manny Machado, Xander Bogaerts, Yu Darvish, Joe Musgrove and Jake Cronenworth, it may be hard for the Padres to extend Kim past this season.
Thus, many have speculated they would instead look to trade him this year, but at this point in the offseason, nothing has come to fruition.
The Padres have clear holes both in the starting rotation and the outfield as camp rolls on.
San Diego currently has just three outfielders on their roster after the recent signing of Jurickson Profar, but only Tatis is a sure-thing, everyday player.
As for the rotation, Darvish and Musgrove headline the starters, but then there are tons of question marks.
Michael King — the key player acquired in the Juan Soto trade — is likely to be the No. 3 starter, but then there are a handful of unproven players fighting for the final spots.
The Padres could greatly benefit from adding an everyday outfielder and a back-end starter before Opening Day — or at least early in the season.
Whether that means moving Kim remains to be seen, but the Padres also have one of the best farm systems in baseball to make a trade happen.
