11 San Diego Padres players who won't be back next season

6) Padres pitcher Rich Hill will not be back in 2024

The Padres acquired Rich Hill in a trade with the Pirates at the deadline to try and add stability and depth to a rotation that needed it, but unfortunately, he did nothing to help the team win. Hill had an 8.23 ERA in 10 appearances and only made five starts before being relegated to the bullpen. San Diego went just 2-8 in games he pitched, and one of the wins took them to the 10th as Hill blew a save.

It would've been nice for Hill to pitch well for his 13th MLB team, but he looked uncompetitve in games he started. As Hill enters his age-44 season, he'll either be on a new team, one of his 12 older teams, or on his couch retired. None of these scenarios involve the Padres.

7) Padres infielder Ji Man Choi will not be back in 2024

Ji Man Choi was involved in the Hill trade with the Pirates at the deadline, and that deal is already one of the worst A.J. Preller has made. Hill was a disaster, and Choi might've been even worse. The 32-year-old was supposed to be an upgrade at the DH spot, but managed to somehow not be an improvement over Carpenter.

Part of the struggles weren't his fault as he missed a month due to a rib injury, but when he played he was terrible. Choi had just two hits in 31 at-bats with the Friars, and those hits came in Game 161 after the Padres were already eliminated. San Diego can find a better free agent to help improve this offense.