Padres could pay a painful second price to escape Xander Bogaerts’ contract

The Padres can compare Manny Machado and Xander Bogaerts with each other. Both are 34 and have full no-trade protection. They’re both under contract through 2033. Beginning next season, the two infielders will collect nearly $65 million annually from San Diego.

That explains why the Padres would examine every possible way out. But neither are interchangeable.

Machado helped change the way this franchise sees itself. He arrived before San Diego became regulars in the postseason. Bogaerts is a different calculation. He’s also the player San Diego would have a much harder time moving.

Xander Bogaerts’ contract leaves the Padres with no easy exit

According to Kevin Acee of the San Diego Union-Tribune, the Padres have discussed the possibility of moving a large contract for the past few years. Bogaerts is the obvious place for those conversations to begin. But when you look at the money, you’d understand why the room is quiet.

Bogaerts is owed approximately $25.5 million in each of the next seven seasons. That leaves San Diego responsible for roughly $178 million through his age-40 campaign. His deal also contains a full no-trade clause and no opt-outs.

The Padres cannot ship the contract to whichever team offers the most convenient financial relief. He would have to approve the destination. Any interested club would know San Diego is negotiating from a vulnerable position.

His 2026 production does not help. Bogaerts slashed .231/.332/.344 with 13 home runs and a 90 OPS+ in 2026. That’s a long way from the impact bat another organization would happily pay $178 million to acquire.

A workable trade would probably require the Padres to cover a substantial piece of the remaining salary, accept another undesirable contract or include young talent to make the deal palatable. They could end up using all three levers.

We understand the temptation. Removing even part of Bogaerts’ salary could create room for another starting pitcher, a needed bat or several complementary pieces.

The Padres have repeatedly cashed in prospects to chase a championship. That aggression brought stars to San Diego, but it also made affordable, controllable talent harder to replace. Attaching another meaningful young player to Bogaerts would take an already expensive contract and charge the farm system an early-termination fee.

Machado’s contract carries plenty of long-term risk. His salary rises to roughly $39 million in 2027 and stays there through 2033. But trading Machado would create an entirely different crater.

He remains the franchise’s defining veteran, its clubhouse standard and the star most closely connected to San Diego’s transformation from an afterthought into an organization with annual championship expectations. Moving him would become a referendum on the direction of the entire franchise.

Preller should still explore every route available. If moving Bogaerts requires San Diego to retain a mountain of salary and sacrifice premium young talent, the Padres should back down. They’ve already spent enough on this contract.

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