San Diego Padres Have Some Decisions to Make After 2018

Although the 2018 season is yet to start, it’s never too early to make bold predictions at who all the San Diego Padres’ front office will let walk in free agency after the season.

San Diego Padres have a rich farm system. ESPN rated the team’s farm system to be third best in all of Major League Baseball.

With so much talent waiting in the wings, there definitely will be some roster re-shaping that will happen next year.

Let’s take a look at some of the Friars’ players who whose contracts will expire at the end of this season.

Chase Headley

The San Diego Padres took on the veteran third baseman’s contract, worth $13 million this season, from the Yankees in exchange for former Friar, Jabari Blash.

It is almost certain that the 33-year-old Chase Headley will not get this kind of money moving forward, and certainly not from the Friars.

Some pundits are already predicting that the hard-hitting Christian Villanueva could start the 2018 season ahead of Headley. Villaneuva, in comparison, will be drawing less than a tenth of Headley’s salary this year ($507,500 in 2018).

The 26-year-old has taken giant strides this spring and is almost ready to supplant Headley if manager Andy Green decides to go that way. Green most-likely prefers the experience and composure of Headley for now, but Headley will have to restructure his contract significantly if he wants to be in a Padres’ uniform next spring.

Tyson Ross

The San Diego Padres inked a one-year, $1.75 million contract with Tyson Ross earlier this year in what could turn out to be a masterstroke.

The Friars’ projected rotation is modest at best. This will all change when AJ Preller will have at least $30.5 million (James Shields, Headley, and Hector Olivera) coming off the books and it should all be available to spend next year.

The Friars’ front office will definitely look to bring in an experienced, star-level hurler after the season. If Tyson Ross performs exceedingly well, the team will have to splurge a bit to retain Ross and this looks exceedingly unlikely given the young arms that they possess.

Freddy Galvis

Freddy Galvis signed a one-year, make-or-break deal worth $6.83 million before being traded to the San Diego Padres. He brings in a much-needed defensive robustness.

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If Galvis, 28, can perform at the highest-level for 162 games this year, the team will have a difficult decision to make at the end of the season.

The decision to re-sign Galvis will also hinge on how the next-generation Friars’ superstar Fernando Tatis Jr performs in the minor leagues this year.

The nineteen-year-old Tatis Jr is already knocking on the door, and very hard to boot.

In Spring Training this year, his all-around abilities were on display for everyone to see.

If the Friars end up having a losing season, as many have predicted, Tatis’ foray into Major League Baseball could happen sooner than expected.

Chris Young

It was surprising to see the team sign two veteran pitchers, Tyson Ross and Chris Young, around the same time earlier this spring.

Most had Andy Green filling out his rotation with a combination of the Friars’ young pitchers.

Chris Young, the 38-year-old veteran, will most likely be relegated to the minors and is unlikely to get an extension next year.

Next: Padres Got Better, But So Did the NL West

Look out for the San Diego Padres to make significant roster changes next year, when they will look to make a push for the playoffs for the first time in more than a decade.

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