ESPN Insider Unimpressed With Padres' Offseason Moves

Valentina Martinez | Mar 6, 2025

Nov 21, 2023; San Diego, CA, USA; San Diego Padres president of baseball operations and general manager A.J. Preller speaks to the media during a press conference announcing the hiring of manager Mike Shildt (not pictured) at Petco Park. Mandatory Credit: Orlando Ramirez-Imagn Images / Orlando Ramirez-Imagn Images

The San Diego Padres spent much of the offseason watching other teams acquire talent, but Fernando Tatis Jr. said it was good for baseball.

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"You obviously have to hear about it. It's part of the game," Tatis said, via 97.3 The Fan. "What's happening in the big leagues right now is beautiful. I'm really happy for the talent that is going out there and getting reward. Baseball is getting better, so everything should get better. It's as simple as that."

Much of the headlines involving the Padres this winter surrounded Friars free agents walking away, an ugly ownership lawsuit, and the loss of international phenom Roki Sasaki.

The Padres have insisted the offseason was by no means a failure, especially since the team has kept its core intact.

“We’ve seen offseasons where we’ve been really aggressive and been able to line up on moves early in the offseason and other years, like last year, where it was later in the process,” president of baseball operations A.J. Preller said. “… We’ve got a really good core and good foundation we like a lot, and we’ve got some needs as well.”

With Opening Day three weeks away, the Padres have received a near-failing grade for their work this winter. ESPN insider David Schoenfield was unimpressed with the Friars' blockbuster signing of right-hander Nick Pivetta, and gave them a 'D' for their entire offseason.

"The recent Pivetta signing prevents this from being a complete bust of an offseason, but the Padres are down 11 WAR after the departures of those free agents (plus, Joe Musgrove is out for the season) and have little depth to replace them," Schoenfield wrote. "And despite that, the payroll has gone up anyway as increases kick in on some past long-term deals. Did they sign Pivetta to go alongside Dylan Cease and Michael King, or did they sign him as a hedge against trading one of those two?

"The Padres are still a potential playoff team with a deep bullpen and more offensive upside from the Fernando Tatis Jr./Jackson Merrill/Manny Machado trio. Still, they seemed to be banking their offseason on signing Sasaki — and that didn't happen"

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For more Padres news, head over to Padres on SI.