San Diego Padres offseason primer: Free agents, payroll, offseason needs

Get ready for what will be a fascinating offseason, San Diego Padres fans.

As the World Series concludes and the offseason is on the brink of beginning, the San Diego Padres face a myriad of questions about their 2024 season. Who will be the manager? Will Juan Soto be on the team or traded away? Will any of the free agent pitchers be back in the rotation or bullpen? How much salary will the Padres actually cut before Opening Day?

Yes, there is plenty of areas where questions arise, and that's where we will try to shed some light on the Padres as the offseason prepares to heat up.

San Diego Padres projected 2024 payroll

Estimated 2024 Payroll: $224,505,427

Estimated 2024 Luxury Tax Payroll: $246,563,678

These are the numbers from Spotrac, but they are also numbers that will look much different as the offseason continues. They include salaries for players such as Soto, Nick Martinez, Michael Wacha and others who may or may not open the season in brown and gold. With San Diego rumored to hope to be around $200 million in payroll when the season begins, expect these numbers to change drastically.

Keep in mind that the luxury tax threshold for the 2024 season is $237 million, meaning the Padres will very likely shoot to be well below that limit.