MLB Insider Predicts Padres Make Blockbuster Trade Before Offseason Concludes

Dec 5, 2022; San Diego, CA, USA; San Diego Padres president of baseball operations and general manager A.J. Preller speaks to the media at Manchester Grand Hyatt. Mandatory Credit: Orlando Ramirez-Imagn Images | Orlando Ramirez-Imagn Images

The San Diego Padres won't be silent for much longer this offseason, according to MLB insider Alden Gonzalez.

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"And because the free agent class has dwindled significantly and money remains tight in San Diego, look for Preller to swing a big trade before spring training -- the type we have seen from him often," Gonzalez wrote. "Holes remain in the Padres' rotation and throughout their lineup. Dylan Cease, Robert Suarez, Luis Arraez and Jake Cronenworth can all be had, and the guess here is that at least one of those four will go. Preller has stood pat for far too long. It won't continue."

As Gonzalez wrote, president of baseball operations A.J. Preller orchestrated crucial moves just before the start of the 2024 season. The Padres acquired Dylan Cease from the Chicago White Sox via trade in March. Cease was a key player in the 93-win team.

In February, the Padres finalized a one-year deal with Jurickson Profar. Both Cease and Profar played immense roles with San Diego in 2024, and were added late in the offseason.

It might be too early to panic about the Padres' chances in 2025 since the team has made their best moves late in the offseason before. After losing out on Japanese phenom Roki Sasaki, Preller said this would be the case.

“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,” Preller said, via Kevin Acee of The San Diego Union-Tribune. “… We’ve got a really good core and good foundation we like a lot, and we’ve got some needs as well.”

Although it appears as the Padres have endured a long, cold winter losing out on players like Sasaki, reliever Tanner Scott, and Profar, the delayed activity from San Diego in the offseason isn't unusual.

There's still plenty of time for the Padres to fortify the roster, and based on Gonzalez's prediction, fans won't have to wait much longer before Preller engineers a blockbuster trade.

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