MLB radio host paints grim picture for Padres fans if San Diego flounders in 2025

There is plenty on the line for the San Diego Padres heading into the 2025 season. The current 26-man roster is loaded with star talent that has championship aspirations, but this club has been unable to fully get the job done when the playoffs roll around.

San Diego reached the NLCS in 2022, and then in the NLDS this past year, falling short of their lofty World Series goals.

As this organization is looking to construct a stronger roster for next spring, there may be more at stake than initially anticipated. If this current team does not succeed in 2025, then AJ Preller and his front office staff may have no choice but to start all over again. MLB Network Radio's Jim Memolo spelled out the potential gloomy future over the air if the Friars come up short yet again in 2025.

MLB radio host paints grim picture for Padres fans if San Diego flounders in 2025

AJ Preller is constantly spinning deals that include All-Star players. While being active on the market is not always a bad thing, he might be forced to start from square one again if the 2025 Padres are not legitimate contenders.

Memolo discusses how Preller has managed to trade his way out of a bad season before, and now he may be faced with doing so again. Unfortunately, this time around, that is not what the Padres and their fans want. San Diego has been a team in the World Series conversation in each of the last four seasons, so to see this window abruptly shut is disheartening. This has already begun, in a way, with ace Dylan Cease and batting title champ Luis Arráez headlining the trading rumor mill in December.

Who else would Preller look to trade if the Friars hope to cut payroll? Well, it would likely start with Manny Machado, who will be 33 years old in July and is owed a boatload of money over the course of the next decade. Machado's put together a splendid career at Petco Park and has become the all-time home run king in San Diego, but if things go very south in 2025, then Machado might just be the first player who Preller looks to trade.

Going into next season, the last thing that Padres fans want to think about is their team already looking to turn the roster upside down. With a steady core of guys in Machado, Jackson Merrill, Fernando Tatis Jr., Xander Bogaerts, and Jake Cronenworth in the lineup, San Diego fans were prepared for a dynasty run at the start of the 2020s. All of that could come to a halt if the Padres do not win at a rapid rate in 2025. Brace yourselves.