3 bold predictions for the San Diego Padres at 2023 winter meetings

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It was a disappointing 2023 season for the San Diego Padres. Entering the season with high hopes, they struggled all season and never found the consistency needed to get back into the National League Wild Card race.

If there is one thing that we know will be true when they gather for spring training in Arizona in February, it’s that the roster is going to look different. Gone will be some key contributors over the last couple of seasons, while there will be some new additions by GM A.J. Preller.

The winter meetings are a very busy week for a lot of GMs and Preller should be one of the more active ones in building a roster for 2024.

Here are three bold predictions for the San Diego Padres at the 2023 MLB winter meetings in Nashville

San Diego Padres sign Jordan Montgomery

Blake Snell is likely gone and there are questions surrounding what the rotation will look like. An addition or two is needed and Jordan Montgomery would fit in perfectly for next season.

The left-hander was traded to the Texas Rangers at the trade deadline from the St. Louis Cardinals and he pitched well for manager Bruce Bochy. In 11 regular season starts, he went 4-2 with a 2.79 ERA in 67.2 innings pitched. In the Rangers’ run to the World Series championship, he was 3-1 in six starts (eight appearances) with an ERA of 2.90.

He has proven when he’s on a contending roster, he can be effective like he was with the New York Yankees. Montgomery is not going to overpower hitters, but he’s crafty and mixes his pitches well. He would be a good middle-of-the-rotation pitcher for the Friars.

San Diego Padres trade Juan Soto

One of the bigger names tied to a lot of trade rumors is Juan Soto. He will be in the final year of his current contract in 2024 and it’s unlikely an extension gets done with San Diego. Preller, who is going to cut some payroll, may have no other choice than to trade his left fielder.

One team that would love to land Soto is the Yankees and they do have some younger talent that they could send the Padres way. Adding him to the middle of the New York lineup in the Bronx would make them that more explosive.

Soto has been a good bat at the top of the Padres order and losing him would be a big blow offensively. In 2023, he slashed .275/.410/.519 with 35 home runs and 109 RBI. He walked 132 times and struck out 129.

I have never been on the trade Juan Soto train, as he would be a very big piece of what the Padres want to accomplish next season, but given the cap situation, it makes sense to sell high on him right now rather than at the trade deadline next season.

San Diego Padres sign J.D. Martinez

Going into this offseason, Preller has to have a different plan at DH to add a bat, especially on the right side. He has Matt Carpenter on the left side, but if there was a chance he could be able to move the veteran, he would.

Nelson Cruz was a cheap signing last winter, but it never worked out and in early July, he was DFA’d by Preller. Looking to add a right-handed bat, the perfect bat would be J.D. Martinez, who is coming off a good year with the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Martinez found his power in Los Angeles by slashing .271/.321./.572 with 33 home runs and he drove in 103. Those numbers were up from his last three seasons with the Boston Red Sox, who made the curious decision to not re-sign him following 2022.

He would not require a huge contract to sign, but it’s clear that at this point in his career, he’s looking to play for a winner. If Soto is indeed moved, Martinez is a no-brainer in terms of replacing his bat and giving the Friars more power from the right side of the plate.

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