Padres Not a Serious Player for Former MVP Outfielder, Says The Athletic Insider
The Padres have a lot of holes to fill on the roster before Opening Day 2024. Starting pitching and designated hitter aside, San Diego desperately needs outfielders. Currently, Fernando Tatis Jr. and Jose Azocar are the only two outfielders on the roster.
Unfortunately, this free-agent class does not have a plethora of outfielders from which to choose. On top of that, teams are handing out monster contracts while general manager A.J. Preller and the Padres want to cut payroll.
Dodgers' 2019 MVP Cody Bellinger headlines the free-agent outfielders this year. After a renaissance year that saw him hit 26 home runs with a .886 OPS, he wants a contract that reflects his production. Dennis Lin of The Athletic does not see Preller handing him that contract though,
San Diego isn’t in serious play for Cody Bellinger, and the other remaining free agents are uninspiring.
Given the financial trends the organization has demonstrated this offseason, reading this is not surprising. However, the second part of that quote does not inspire much confidence.
The rest of the field consists of players with more obvious holes in their game. The Padres could bring back Tommy Pham, Wil Myers, or Jurickson Profar for the outfield. Of the bunch, Pham had the best year in 2023 helping the Arizona Diamondbacks reach the World Series.
Preller could turn to one of the many defense-first outfielders including David Peralta, Kevin Pillar, or Michael A. Taylor. If they decide to spend a little more money, they could eschew defense and sign Joc Pederson or Jorge Soler.
The Padres do not need much, though. This lineup still has elite talent at the top, so the team needs role players to round out the back half. Somewhere in the list of free agents exists a couple of players who can give good at-bats and play competent defense.
