Padres players who are most at risk ahead of MLB non-tender deadline

The MLB offseason has been moving at a snail's pace. Juan Soto and Scott Boras are gumming up the works, but soon enough the dam will break and baseball fans will be inundated with an abundance of news and rumors.

Major League Baseball's non-tender deadline is Friday, November 22 at 3 p.m. PT, which will definitely bring some much needed life to relatively slow news cycle. About this time every year team executives get together and decide which players will be tendered contracts for the next season and who'll be handed their walking papers.

With so many players tied up on long-term contracts, the San Diego Padres don't have as many decisions as other ball clubs, but AJ Preller and Co. still have several decisions to make that will help shape next year's roster. Last year, catcher Aaron Nola, pitchers Tim Hill and Jose Espada, and outfield Taylor Kohlwey were shown the door. Which Padres players are most at-risk this year?

Padres players who are most at-risk ahead of MLB non-tender deadline

Luis Patiño, Padres pitcher

While it may seem rather harsh to kick a guy while he's down, non-tendering injured players is a common practice throughout the sport. In Luis Patiño's case, the right-hander is recovering from Tommy John surgery that he underwent last spring. The best-case scenario for Patiño would be a midseason return, but seeing as how he's due a raise through arbitration, Padres fans should expect to see him non-tendered and then re-signed to a (cheaper) minor-league deal.

Luis Campusano, Padres catcher

Few Padres players were more disappointing this past season than Luis Campusano. The Padres' backstop was supposed to shine with Gary Sánchez no longer taking reps from him behind the plate. But Campusano played in just 91 games before being replaced by Elias Diaz and optioned to the minor leagues. Like Patiño, Campusano is arbitration eligible, and his $1.7 million estimated salary could be better spent elsewhere in 2025.

Tyler Wade, Padres shortstop

The Padres got to see what life will be like without Ha-Seong Kim, and it wasn't pretty when Tyler Wade took over. The veteran infielder received the lion's share of reps at shortstop once Kim landed on the IL, and the Padres saw really quickly that he wasn't the guy. The Friars flipped Xander Bogaerts back to shortstop, and if that's the their plan for the 2025 season Wade could be non-tendered at the deadline.

Bryce Johnson, Padres outfielder

Bryce Johnson is out of minor-league options and he may be out of time in San Diego. Last season the 28-year-old hit .206/.286/.238 in 47 appearances and was worth -0.3 bWAR. Outside of making the league minimum, there's nothing keeping Johnson's spot on the roster safe. Brandon Lockridge earned his spot on the Padres offseason roster with his play down the stretch, so Johnson will likely be handed his pink slip.