With limited payroll flexibility, Jake Cronenworth becomes an intriguing offseason trade candidate for the Padres. Owed $12 million in 2026, clearing Cronenworth’s contract would open the door to increased capability in free agency.

In the free agent market, the Padres have already made their share of moves. General manager A.J. Preller and Co. brought in KBO star Sung-Mun Song and re-signed Michael King to a three-year deal. Relief pitchers Ty Adcock and Daison Acosta also joined the big league team on one-year deals. Kyle Hart signed a one-year deal to return to the team, and Triston Mackenzie agreed to a minor league flier deal.

However, the influx of signings still doesn’t match the ten names that entered free agency last November. Robert Suarez, Dylan Cease, Ryan O’Hearn, Luis Arraez, and Nestor Cortes all either signed elsewhere or are still on the market. The Padres have done what they can to address the larger holes, but replacing every departure has grown unrealistic.

Earlier this offseason, the Padres front office expressed that they were looking to operate out of similar payroll to the previous season. That number was $235 million in salary cash in 2025, and currently sits at $219 million looming over 2026. That leaves space for a pair of lower-profile pitchers or one solid position player or starting pitcher. Put simply, that’s just not the list of options that A.J. Preller would like to have laid out in front of him.

Trade murmurings have surfaced throughout the offseason of the Padres looking to trade away some payroll. Jake Cronenworth and Nick Pivetta have been identified as the two players most likely to be included in a deal. While Pivetta also owns an expensive contract, Cronenworth is far and away the best option if the Padres need to offload one of their contracts.

The benefits

Above the factors of talent, money, control, and versatility comes the fact that the Padres have depth on the right side of the infield. New Padre Sung-Mun Song would likely play second base, with Cronenworth hypothetically shifting over to first base. Without Cronenworth, the Padres would likely hand the first base job over to Gavin Sheets.

Next, the added payroll flexibility would likely help them add to this group, as well as the rotation. Cheaper options such as Luis Arraez or Rhys Hoskins could add depth, while keeping a bigger-name SP signing within the realm of possibility. For example, acquiring Hoskins along with Chris Bassitt for a combined $25 million AAV would be a realistic course of action.

Another possible win that could come out of a Cronenworth trade is a direct move for a pitcher who is on a similar contract. Starters Brayan Bello, Sandy Alcantara, and Hunter Greene fit the mold and would be ideal returners in a swap. This method would also be the least risky, as Preller could avoid having to deal with beating the clock on certain free agents. Instead, the Padres could target a pitcher they see as a fit, and use the remaining money to add depth to the rotation or right side of the infield.

Lastly, taking Cronenworth off the payroll offers the Padres a chance to completely reset. Although they may pursue a quick-fix signing to fill his void, moving on from Cronenworth’s large contract benefits the team in the long run. It would simply provide the freedom to reset and take another swing at finding a cornerstone infielder. That could be during this offseason, the 2026 trade deadline, or further down the road in the future.

The costs

The immediate negative to trading Cronenworth would be the harsh reality of trading away a regular. Cronenworth has grown to become a key figure in the Padres clubhouse. He was named to the All-Star team twice. He came up with one of the biggest hits in Padres’ history, to topple the Dodgers in the 2022 NLDS. Typically, you don’t expect to shop a player like this, who’s under contract for several years. It’s bad for morale, plain and simple.

Secondly, the Padres would be losing out on Cronenworth’s reliability. Through his tenure in San Diego, Cronenworth has been one of the most durable hitters on the roster. Considering his experience, you’re opening a door to risk, as Sheets and Song are both less proven hitters than Cronenworth, although they may offer more upside.

Jake Cronenworth’s left-on-left homer:

101.7 MPH
34° LA
381 FT
.579 xBA
HR in 29/30 Ballparks

Great to see Cronenworth barrel up a left-hander. He slugged just .255 vs. LHP last season, down all the way from .433 in 2021.

He could be an X-factor this season#ForTheFaithful pic.twitter.com/XeGlM8JVF6

— High Leverage Baseball (@HighLevBaseball) March 29, 2025

Lastly, the Padres would be throwing Sung-Mun Song directly into the fire as the Opening Day second baseman and relying on him to be able to hit lefties and righties at an acceptable level. As was touched on earlier, the Padres could try and add depth, but they likely wouldn’t be able to get anyone who would take significant heat off Song at second base. Getting him a right-handed platoon option would likely be the best-case scenario.

Conclusion

All things considered, trading Jake Cronenworth would be a bold move that could reap major benefits. Giving additional payroll flexibility to one of, if not the most creative GM in baseball, does sound enticing. However, multiple pieces would have to fall into place, time would be a factor, and there’s a significant risk of losing one of the clubhouse regulars for little on-field gain.

If A.J. Preller were to opt for this route, he should be looking to get a deal done quickly. Freeing up money before the free agent market begins to dwindle would work in favor of this decision. However, if Cronenworth is not traded, little changes. The Padres will instead look to win on the margins, similar to how they handled the left field vacancy last season. The good news? Finding pitching upside is often much easier than finding upside in position players.

Willy Warren

A 17-year-old San Diego native, Willy Warren is a baseball fan at heart who created High Leverage Baseball, a public baseball media account covering around-the-league statistical analysis and breakdowns on X. Willy is set to attend the Cronkite School of Journalism in the fall of 2026 at Arizona State University, where he’ll pursue a major in sports journalism.