2 reasons the San Diego Padres will be competitive in 2024, 2 reasons they won't

The San Diego Padres will be competitive in 2024 because they have an aggressive owner and GM

As we alluded to in our first reason, the Padres have an aggressive owner in Peter Seidler who is running a franchise record payroll in 2023. And their GM, AJ Preller, is one of baseball's foremost wheeling and dealing executives. That combination should lead to continued aggression in free agency and on the trade market this coming winter.

And as long as those two are in charge, San Diego should remain competitive, in theory.

Even in a year where the Padres have soundly underachieved, the club still opted to buy at the trade deadline, reeling in several reinforcements for a chance at a Wild Card spot in 2023. That illustrates this team's commitment to winning despite the circumstances.

Preller, specifically, has quite a few problems to address this winter regarding the 2024 roster, but with a willing owner and a desire to win, we expect the Padres to make any upgrades they see fit.