Will the San Diego Padres be able to add to their payroll, or are these early signs indicative of a team slashing payroll? 

It is becoming more and more evident that the San Diego Padres are maxed out with their payroll.

The days of adding payroll like crazy are over.

It was bound to happen as the Padres committed nearly a billion dollars to three players (Manny Machado, Fernando Tatis Jr., and Xander Bogaerts) for the next 10 years. The team needs to be thrifty to survive at some point, and we are approaching those days. Sadly, this is becoming a reality now that Peter Seidler is gone.

Last week, Kyle Higashioka signed with the Texas Rangers for two years and $13.5 million with a third-year option.

The Padres starting catcher for most of last season was allowed to leave, making $6.75 million for 2025. Padres’ G.M. A.J. Preller indicated that the team made a fair offer to Higashioka but could not match what he received from Texas. In the same interview, Preller said that the Padres are searching for a catcher.

This is a troubling sign. A matter of a couple million dollars prevented the Padres from signing the catcher they really wanted. It’s painfully apparent that the team is counting their pennies heading into the 2025 season. Preller and his staff must get creative in adding to the roster while shedding some payroll.

We are seeing rumors that the Padres are taking offers on Dylan Cease and his projected $13 million salary for the 2025 season. Cease is a free agent after the year, and the Padres may be exploring moving the pitcher for young players who are under team control and are not making nearly what Cease is due to make.

This is a troubling thought for Padres fans.

The fan base is not far from the years of abuse from ownership. Season after season in which, the front office refused to spend any kind of money to improve the product on the field. We are nothing close to those days, as the Padres still possess one of baseball’s highest payrolls. Trading players because they make too much money is a move that leaves a bad taste in the mouths of Padres fans. But things worked out for the Padres in regards to Juan Soto, so we must trust the process.

Only time will tell if the Padres are indeed shedding salary. The front office refuses to address the issue. The only thing we are hearing from sources to the UT is that the payroll will be higher than the $169 million mark the Padres ended 2024 at in terms of money. The Padres payroll is currently projected at $210 million with arbitration players. So, saying the payroll will be higher is not breaking news. But how high will it be?

The Padres have some bad contracts that they could trade this winter. Wandy Peralta is due $4.25 million in 2025. The lefty reliever is expendable. Another southpaw who could be deemed expendable is Yuki Matsui, who will make $5.5 million next season. Packaging those two lefties with prospects could potentially save the club almost $9 million.

Expect the Padres to explore other options in shedding payroll.

Undoubtedly, A.J. Preller would like to upgrade the roster, but he is currently hamstrung. That is okay. For Padres fans, Preller loves a challenge and thrives on solving roster issues. One way or another, the team will tweak its roster in an effort to get better. It may be unorthodox, but the only thing that counts is the end result. Not one of us knows that.

As a Padres fan, you must remember. The team is still built to win now. Anything can happen.

The payroll issues are a concern. But the Padres will survive and be competitive in 2025. You can be sure of that.

James Clark

James was born and raised in America’s Finest City. He is a passionate baseball fan with even more passion towards his hometown Padres. Editor-In-Chief of EastVillageTimes.com. Always striving to bring you the highest quality in San Diego Sports News. Original content, with original ideas, that’s our motto. Enjoy.