The San Diego Padres have a lot of star power but have some important pieces hitting free agency this winter.
There will be a handful of players going to the open market, with Jurickson Profar, Ha-Seong Kim, and Tanner Scott being just three of the players. It could make sense to bring all three back, and there are pros and cons to each decision.
San Diego will have to make some tough decisions. The Athletic’s Jim Bowden put together a list of 25 predictions for this offseason and predicted that the Padres will end up re-signing Profar and Kim.
“The Padres re-sign both left fielder Jurickson Profar and shortstop Ha-Seong Kim as they opt to ‘run it back’ with largely the same team in 2025,” Bowden said.
Re-signing Profar and Kim would be expensive. Profar currently is projected to get a two-year deal worth $25 million. Kim is projected to get a four-year deal worth roughly $49 million. That would mean that the Padres likely would have to hand out roughly $79 million to bring both back.
It makes to bring them both back to town as they had plenty of success with San Diego. The Padres could make some noise in 2025 and bringing these two back would help with that fact.
San Diego has plenty of money to spend and will be active this offseason. It would be great to bring the duo back, but the Padres shouldn’t stop there.
Braves star urged to sign $136M deal with Padres instead of Atlanta
The Atlanta Braves could lose a top pitcher this winter.
Will Max Fried take the mound for the Braves for the foreseeable future? He has been with Atlanta for the last eight seasons, but he will be one of the most sought-after free agents this winter.
Fried is a two-time All-Star and is in line to land a projected $136 million contract this offseason over six years. The Braves certainly could afford that, but will they pay top dollar to bring the star lefty back to town?
It’s unclear at this point, but other teams surely will show interest, and FOX Sports’ Rowan Kavner suggested the San Diego Padres as a fit.
“Forearm issues are never what you want to hear in a contract year, but Fried pushed through to make 29 starts and deliver his second All-Star season,” Kavner said. “About as steady as they come, the lefty doesn’t miss many bats, but he’ll consistently keep the ball on the ground and limit hard contact.
“He posted his highest ERA since 2019 this year, and yet it was still the 15th-best mark in the majors among qualified starters. Possible fits: (Boston Red Sox), (San Francisco Giants), (New York Mets), (Arizona Diamondbacks), Padres.”
Fried is a star, and the Padres could use another boost in the starting rotation. Atlanta may want to bring Fried back to town, but the Padres could be a real threat.
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