San Diego Padres: 3 remaining question a month before Spring Training

Can Wil Myers be traded and more money spent?

This really has been the biggest question all offseason, can Preller move Wil Myers and his contract?

Just as a reminder because we haven’t talked about it on here in a while, Myers is guaranteed $68.5 million over the next three years making $22.5 million in each of the next three seasons with a $1 million buyout in 2023 or $20 million team option.

We always knew it was going to be near impossible to move most of that contract, and the longer this offseason has gone the less likely I think it’s going to happen.

What I believe will happen know, or at least what I think is the best case scenario for the Padres, is that Myers has a productive season and they try to move him next offseason.

It will be a lot easier to move him with just two years left on that contract. Moving him with three years left seems almost impossible.

But one would have to think that if Myers can’t be moved that really limits what the Padres can do financially the rest of this offseason and during the season.

Hopefully I’m wrong on this and the front office is ready to spend with top half of the league, but we’ve just never seen that happen before.

They’re already in the top half as Spotrac ranks them with the 13th highest payroll in baseball going into 2020.

Last season they finished with the 24th highest just over $100 million, which is around where they’ve ranked for the past decade.

Again, maybe this is something new and the front office is ready to spend, but I’m not going to get my hopes up.

Is the outfield complete?

I’ve written plenty about the outfield situation lately, but it’s still a huge question mark right now and one that probably won’t get answered until the end of Spring Training.

And honestly, it might not be answered until a couple of months into the season.

Right now there are six-to-eight players fighting for time in the outfield.

And with Tommy Pham definitely taking one of those spots every day, you have six-to-seven players fighting for two spots.

You have to figure that at least one of those players might be traded away. I wrote the other day how Josh Naylor is most likely on the move.

But there is also still the chance that Preller is looking to upgrade either center or right field.

Even with all the outfielders we have on the roster, you could make a case that none of them are worthy of being everyday starters (other than Pham).

We know Preller was in on Shogo Akiyama to take over in center field for the team, so he’s likely still looking for an upgrade there.

If Preller is going to make another big move this offseason, then it almost has to be for a big outfield bat.

Will another starter be added?

At the beginning of the offseason we were all dreaming about getting that frontline starter like Stephen Strasburg.

That ship sailed away pretty quickly and now I just wonder if they’ll get another pitcher at all.

I sometimes even forget they traded for Zach Davies this offseason as I mostly only think about Trent Grisham in that trade. But Davies should be a veteran presence at the back of the rotation.

Chris Paddack, Garrett Richards, and Dinelson Lamet are most likely locks for the rotation along with Davies.

Joey Lucchesi and Cal Quantrill will likely battle for the fifth spot in Spring Training along with top prospect MacKenzie Gore.

But it might be wise for the Padres to bring in another veteran arm for depth.

I’m not expecting Preller to go out and trade for a Jon Gray at this point, but perhaps he picks up a veteran on a one-year deal like the Atlanta Braves just did with Felix Hernandez to give the team depth with all their young starters.

And that may depend on how Spring Training goes. If someone gets hurt or one of the young guys is ineffective, then maybe you pull that trigger during Spring Training to get another arm.

But mostly, I think San Diego is set for Spring Training to begin and I’m starting to get excited about the roster in place. Let us know in the comments below what questions you have left to be answered before Spring Training starts in a month!