3 free agents San Diego Padres should target in 2021 offseason

Looking ahead to the 2020-2021 offseason we look at three free agents the San Diego Padres should be targeting.

With the last big free agent name in the 2019-2020 class coming off the board with Nicholas Castellanos going to the Cincinnati Reds, we look at who the San Diego Padres could target next offseason.

We went into this offseason thinking San Diego might take a chance and spend big on some of the top free agents like Stephen Strasburg, but that really never came close to happening.

In fact, the only big free agent signing the Padres made this offsesaon was signing reliever Drew Pomeranz.

Part of that is because the Padres were very aggressive the past two offseason signing Eric Hosmer and Manny Machado.

Those two account for $53 million of the team’s payroll for the next three seasons. And their 2020 payroll is already around $140 million.

They don’t have a lot coming off the books after the 2020 season either. They’ll have Garrett Richards, Kirby Yates, and Jurickson Profar become free agents and those three will make a combined $21 million in 2020.

Of course, they’re hoping they can move Wil Myers and some of the $68.5 million (including $1 million buyout in 2023) he’s owed over the next three years.

Including arbitration numbers, San Diego’s 2021 payroll is likely already around $120-130 million.

That doesn’t give them much room to work with, but we know things can be done to open up room if they feel like one of the top free agents next offseason is worth the investment.

Let’s look at three that very well could be worth going after next offseason.