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

The San Diego Padres enter the offseason with a lot of questions, including who will be the team's manager in 2024.

By Kevin Henry |
San Diego Padres pitcher Yu Darvish
San Diego Padres pitcher Yu Darvish / Ronald Martinez/GettyImages
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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.

San Diego Padres free agents

Matt Carpenter (player option for $5.5 million)

Ji-Man Choi

Garrett Cooper

Brandon Dixon

Luis Garcia

Josh Hader

Rich Hill

Seth Lugo (player option for $7.5 million)

Nick Martinez (club option for $16 million)

Drew Pomeranz

Jurickson Profar

Gary Sanchez

Blake Snell

Craig Stammen

Michael Wacha (club option for $16 million)

In all, there are 15 names on this list, including four with options. Perhaps the most interesting option could lie with Carpenter, who could cash in his $5.5 million option and see what the Padres do. One would think San Diego wouldn't keep Carpenter for 2024 after such an abysmal 2023, but it will be something that A.J. Preller will have on his list of decisions.

Again, if San Diego is looking to slice payroll, here are some of the names that will not be back next season.

San Diego Padres players eligible for arbitration

Scott Barlow

Trent Grisham

Tim Hill

Adrian Morejon

Austin Nola

Juan Soto

Soto, of course, is the big name on this list, but Padres fans will also be watching what happens with the much-maligned Austin Nola. Will he be a part of their catching plans in 2024? A lot could ride on the potential return of Gary Sanchez as well as a timeline for Ethan Salas to make his MLB debut (which still isn't expected for a year or two).

San Diego Padres offseason needs

The Padres need to land on a manager who can mesh well with not only Preller and the front office, but also ensure a good relationship with the clubhouse. Finding the right person for the job is critical for San Diego's success in 2024.

San Diego will also need to decide how it's going to cut payroll but add to its pitching and offense. The rotation will likely need to be somewhat rebuilt with free agent departures and an answer at closer will need to happen as well.

Can San Diego actually find an answer at designated hitter this offseason? If the Padres trade Soto, where will the replacement for his offense come from? With Jackson Merrill knocking on the door and Xander Bogaerts reportedly in discussions to move to first base, what will the infield look like, especially with Manny Machado likely to start the year filling that DH role until he fully recovers from offseason surgery.

In short, the Padres have a lot of needs. They also seem to have a lot of answers as well, but the questions keep unfolding and likely will until a final decision is made on Soto's future.

2 Padres players to watch as the Rule 5 draft decisions near

Both right-hander Jairo Iriarte and catcher Brandon Valenzuela are among the Padres prospects who could be subjected to the Rule 5 draft. Both are also among San Diego's top 10 prospects, so there will some decisions to be made about adding them and others to the 40-man roster before the November 14 deadline.

The Rule 5 draft, which is a way that MLB keeps its clubs from stashing young prospects in the minors forever and can be explained in much better detail here, is scheduled to be held on December 6 during the Winter Meetings in Nashville.

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