4 no-brainer San Diego Padres roster decisions to make this offseason

Going into the 2024 season, there are a lot of decisions that are going to have to be made by the San Diego Padres front office. From the manager to the roster, there are going to be tough decisions for GM A.J. Preller and the front office to make as to what they look like when spring training begins in February.

Here are four “no-brainer’’ decisions for the Padres front office to make.

1) It’s a no-brainer for the San Diego Padres to keep Juan Soto

Bob Nightengale of USA Today reported that the Padres are undecided on whether or not to trade outfielder Juan Soto or keep him with a year remaining on his contract. I get it, they could probably use him as a centerpiece for a trade that might get a starting pitcher back, but keeping him and running it back for 2024 is the decision to make.

There have been multiple factors this season as to why the season has gone the way it has for San Diego, but Soto is not one of them. The 24-year-old is slashing .284/.421/.523 with 33 home runs and 105 RBI. He is one home run short and five RBI short of tying the career-high he set with the Washington Nationals in their 2019 World Series championship season.

He is a big piece of the puzzle for the Friars moving forward and now is not the time to worry about his contract beyond next season. If the Padres are as serious as CEO Erik Greupner said they were last week that they will put a team on the field that they believe can win a World Series, Soto needs to be part of that.

2) It’s a no-brainer for the San Diego Padres to move on from Matt Carpenter

The thought was good at the time last offseason when the Padres signed both Matt Carpenter and Nelson Cruz to split the DH at-bats from opposite sides of the plate, but boy, it now is a decision that has backfired.

San Diego cut ties with Cruz in July when they designated him for assignment after his struggles reached a point of no return. Carpenter survived the season, which was somewhat of a surprise, but his at-bats have gone down as the season went along and he is no longer the offensive producer he was in his better days with the St. Louis Cardinals.

Preller bet on him after his 2023 season in the Bronx with the New York Yankees, but it was a by-product of the dimensions of Yankee Stadium and a lineup where his struggles at times were covered up. Despite the multiple big bats in the Padres lineup, the struggles they endured this season couldn’t cover up his tough season.

There are going to be other options in free agency for the Padres to fill the DH positions (which we will explore shortly) and, at this point, if they can’t land a better bat in free agency, just maybe signing Garrett Cooper to a short-term deal is an avenue to explore for Preller.

4) It’s a no-brainer for the San Diego Padres to sign J.D. Martinez

Since the Cruz and Carpenter experiment failed miserably this season, the Friars will be in the market for a full-time DH bat, and signing J.D. Martinez, even if it’s a one-year deal like he got this season with the Los Angeles Dodgers, is worth adding.

 He is a big piece of the middle of the Dodgers order and has proven this season that he has something left in his bat, despite the Boston Red Sox not re-signing him. At this point in his career, the former Houston Astors and Detroit Tigers slugger before landing in Boston is slashing .273/.350/.524 in Los Angeles with 31 home runs and 98 RBI. Where would San Diego be this season if they signed him last winter?

Think about this, the Padres gave Carpenter $6 million and Cruz $1 million this season, while Martinez signed in Los Angeles for $10 million. Just $3 million more could have had him with the Friars and things likely would be much different for Preller and his team.

Depending on how things play out for the Dodgers in October, the 36-year-old might not be looking for $10 million this winter, possibly less for a chance to win another ring. This would be a win-now move that would greatly deepen the Padres lineup.

A lot of questions are going to come up over the offseason as to what they roster looks like next season, but some of the Padres issues could be solved with some of these no-brainer moves.