Padres Rumors: MLB insider's update could point toward roster teardown

Are the San Diego Padres rebuilding? Well, according to MLB insider Jon Heyman, there are at least some ongoing internal discussions that are rather peculiar. According to Heyman the Padres are listening to offers for Dylan Cease, Luis Arráez, and even Xander Bogaerts.

Cease's name came up in trade rumors earlier this week, and it's not necessarily surprising to hear Arráez's name on the trade block. But Bogaerts? Who's next Fernando Tatis Jr.?

The Friars had a laundry list of needs heading into the MLB Winter Meetings and walked away from Dallas with little more than a right-handed pitching prospect they snatched away from the Baltimore Orioles in the Rule 5 Draft.

Padres Rumors: MLB insider's update could point toward roster teardown

Padres fans are noticeably nervous. The Friars will see their payroll rise by about $40 million next season, with Tatis, Bogaerts, Yu Darvish, and Joe Musgrove all clearing $20 million or more in 2025. That's a $9 million bump for Tatis, an extra $5 million for Darvish, and in 2026, Manny Machado's salary will jump from $17 million to $25 million. San Diego can't keep handing out mega-deals only to see the team fall apart in the postseason.

Roki Sasaki's chances of joining the Padres already took a hit after his agent's press conference this past week, and this reporting from Heyman could drastically affect San Diego's pursuit even more. One can also assume that a Jurickson Profar reunion isn't on the table at the moment either.

While a rebuild might be a bit of a stretch, if these rumors are accurate, Padres President of Baseball Operations AJ Preller is, at the very least, looking to retool the roster. The problem, of course, is the bloated contracts attached to these players. No one is going to take on Bogaerts' deal, which doesn't expire until 2033.

The Padres may be able to find a home for Cease, but that would wreck San Diego's rotation. The club is already wavering with Musgrove out for next season. Subtracting Cease from the team would leave just Darvish and Michael King as the Padres' top two starters. That's not a championship contender.

But Preller has gotten the Friars this far, and San Diegio's top executive is well known for wheeling and dealing this time of year. But the Padres' farm system is rather depleted, and the players Preller would want to move have big-time contracts. This offseason could be very telling regarding the future direction of the Padres' franchise.

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