2 San Diego Padres players pricing themselves out of returning in 2024

As the 2023 MLB trade deadline inched closer and closer, one of the questions around the league was whether or not San Diego Padres GM A.J. Preller was going to be a buyer or seller. Why? That's because he had two arms that many would have loved to add to their roster for the final two months and a potential postseason berth.

The Padres went on a little run ahead of August 1 and Preller decided to not sell. Instead, he decided to add by adding some veterans on expiring contracts. Depth pieces every team can use, but since the August 1 deadline, San Diego has struggled and, after dropping two out of three over the weekend to the Arizona Diamondbacks, they are quickly fading in the National League Wild Card race, now 5.5 games back and needing to climb over four teams.

That is the risk Preller took by deciding to hold onto players and pretty soon, attention will be turned toward the 2024 season and what the roster will look like. Two players that San Diego held onto are free agents and now instead of getting something in return at the deadline for them, they risk losing them as they are potentially pricing themselves out of Southern California.