A.J. Preller delivers the Padres’ clearest message yet on a Tatis trade

The Padres have had to answer questions surrounding starting pitching, the infield, and catcher to start the offseason. But one of the biggest rumors that made way was that the Padres were looking to trade Fernando Tatis Jr. away.

At first, many experts ran with this rumor, saying that Tatis was the easiest to move on from of the four big-name Padres under contract. However, president of baseball operations, A.J. Preller, officially shut it down during the winter meetings. 

A.J. Preller shuts down Tatis trade talk with a firm Padres declaration

“The guy has taken over portions of seasons and games and playoff series and everything like that,” Preller said.

Since making his MLB debut in 2019, the San Diego Padres have punched their ticket to the postseason four times. Most notably in 2022, when the team advanced all the way to the NLCS, doing so without Tatis.

The past two playoff runs have been rather bumpy. In 2024, the team was sent home in the NLDS in five games against the Los Angeles Dodgers, despite leading 2–1. Most recently, the team was bounced in the NLWC by the Chicago Cubs, losing a winner-take-all game three.

While the results of the past two seasons are disappointing, it should not force Preller and upper management to dump salaries and rebuild. Especially with a player as talented as Tatis.

“He’s somebody that we’re not talking about,” Preller said. “However you want to say that; if you want to say that’s ‘untouchable,’ you can say that.”

If these quotes don’t make it obvious that Tatis isn’t going anywhere, then we don’t know what else needs to be said. Preller plans to ride with the guy who has three All-Star selections, two gold gloves, two silver sluggers, along with a pair of platinum gloves.

Tatis is a five-tool player that can hit for contact and power, while being an elite outfield arm and defender, with excellent skills on the basepaths. Not only is Tatis sticking around in San Diego, but he is also expected to lead the way going forward.

On a different note, the Padres need to figure out what the path forward is with their starting rotation, as Nick Pivetta and Joe Musgrove are the only locks ahead of 2026. On top of that, they need to get a word out of Luis Arraez and Ryan O’Hearn, who are both on the open market as it stands.

With one rumor officially put to bed, it will be interesting to see how the remainder of the offseason shapes out for the Padres.