Padres arbitration salary projections for 2025 revealed

The San Diego Padres are in the midst of a playoff run and the last thing on collective minds of the Friars faithful is the upcoming offseason. But once the final out in the 2024 World Series is in the books, it'll be time for AJ Preller and Co. to get to work.

The offseason always brings a measure of unpredictability. Last winter, Pads fans saw San Diego part with outfielder Juan Soto despite the fact he had one year of arbitration eligibility remaining. Soto's lack of team control wasn't the only thing that forced Preller to pull the trigger on last winter's deal with the New York Yankees, but it definitely had something to do with the two sides going their separate ways.

Arbitration can be a tricky aspect of the business-side of Major League Baseball. Players with at least three years of service time, but less than six, are eligible to receive a pay increase. This year, the Padres have eight such players on their roster.

Padres arbitration salary projections for 2025 revealed

Every year, MLB Trade Rumors creates a model that projects the upcoming salary estimates for every player who's eligible for arbitration. More times than not, they're pretty close to what the final number comes out to be.

Later this offseason, the Padres' front office and those players who are eligible for arbitration will exchange figures with the hopes of agreeing to a salary for the 2025 season. If the two sides can't come to an agreement, an arbiter will hear their case later in the winter. Here's who's eligible for a salary raise:

• Luis Arráez, IF ($14.6 million)
• Dylan Cease, RHP ($13.7 million)
• Michael King, RHP ($7.9 million)
• Jason Adam, RHP ($5.7 million)
• Adrian Morejon, LHP ($1.8 million)
• Luis Campusano, C ($1.7 million)
• Tyler Wade, SS ($900,000)
• Luis Patino, RHP ($800,000)

Arráez, King, and Cease will be all be entering their final year of arbitration eligibility. The NL batting champion and two of San Diego's top starting pitchers will be free agents after next season. Don't be surprised if the Padres attempt to find some common ground and sign at least one to a contract extension this offseason. Wade will also be a free agent next winter.

There are very few opportunities for the Padres to save much money ahead of the non-tender deadline. Adam will surely be brought back, as will Morejon. Perhaps the Friars look to cut Campusano this winter, but that seems unlikely. Collectively, the Padres will owe somewhere in the neighborhood of $45 million to their eight arbitration eligible players. That'll bump next year's payroll up a little bit, so keep an eye on other offseason dealings that might be affected by this.

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