As the Padres look to reshape their roster ahead of the 2025 season, Dennis Lin of The Athletic reports the club has trade interest in both players who could become free agents next winter and players who are under long-term control of the team . Lin specifically noted that the club has received interest in the right-hander Dylan Seth and Robert Suarez and infielders Luis Alaes and Jack Cronenworth. It is unclear whether the club is in active talks for these players.
Seth and Araz’s names have been popping up in the rumor mill frequently this winter, but Suarez and Cronenworth have been discussed much less frequently so far. In fact, Lin himself said in early December that the Padres were leaning toward retaining Suarez in the offseason. Clubs then began to take an interest in the finisher’s services, which is certainly noteworthy. At the time, Lin said Suarez’s trade value was complicated by the presence of an opt-out clause in his contract that would have allowed him to become a free agent after the 2025 season instead of earning $8MM in salary in 2026 and ’27.
Perhaps as the transfer market began to develop, rival clubs changed their assessment of Suarez. with right-handers Jeff Hoffman Veteran playmaker signed to $33MM contract with Blue Jays Andrew Kitteridge With $10MM guaranteed from Orioles, some reports suggest closer Tanner Scott With AAV hitting $20MM this winter, the possibility of buying AAV for $26MM in three years will certainly become more palatable if Suarez opts in. After all, Suarez had a 2.77 ERA in 65 game-ending innings for the Padres, making him one of the better relievers in the game, especially compared to Kittredge. That being said, the Padres may also become more motivated to clear payroll as the offseason continues and be willing to trade Suarez, even if the return is less than it was a month ago.
As for Cronenworth, it’s hard to imagine the club receiving anything meaningful in return for his services, other than a pay cut. He’s the perfect infield option for San Diego in 2024, batting roughly a league average of .241/.324/.390 in 656 at-bats splitting time between first and second base. According to last year’s numbers from Fangraphs and Baseball Reference, that would be enough to make Cronenworth a two-win player, a significant improvement over 2023 but still well below where he was during his back-to-back All-Star run in 2021 , 2022. The versatile infielder seems unlikely to be traded.
Interestingly, Lin said the Padres would prefer to keep Arraez through “at least” 2025 of those four names. That’s a bit surprising considering Arraez was commanding a whopping $14MM in his final year under team control, and replacing him at first base would certainly be much cheaper, opening up cap space for upgrades in other areas. Even Lin admitted that the expensive final year of Arez’s contract could be a roadblock for San Diego as they look to shake up their roster. That said, the market for Arraez may not be particularly strong. Few teams have been directly linked to the infielder this winter, and when reports surfaced countering the idea that the Yankees might be interested in acquiring Arrez to play second base for them in 2025, a rumored suitor appeared to be Being removed from the negotiating table.
However, the club ultimately decided to adjust wages and it seems almost certain they will need to make a move or two before the season starts. RosterResource projects the club’s luxury tax payroll in 2025 to be just under $243, about $2 million above the first threshold, with actual payroll just over $208. The club is definitely hoping to get below the first luxury tax threshold this winter, with previous reports suggesting they want to end up with a lower payroll than they currently have, but not necessarily all the way back to last year’s $169MM payroll. With clear needs in the outfield and rotation, it’s hard to imagine the Padres achieving all of their offseason goals without moving at least one player given the sizable 2025 payroll (if not more).
