The San Diego Padres have many holes to address this offseason.
To do that, they almost certainly need to find a way to shed some payroll.
Manny Machado and Xander Bogaerts, the team's two biggest-money deals, almost certainly aren't going anywhere (unless the Padres eat a significant amount of money). Fernando Tatis Jr. and Jackson Merrill, two more huge contracts, are the future of this team.
Joe Musgrove's in the final year of his mega-contract. Yu Darvish's future is uncertain.
So that leaves one more significant contract that the Padres could look to move: infielder Jake Cronenworth.
Cronenworth is entering the fourth season of his seven-year, $80 million deal. He's due over $12 million each of the next four years.
He'll be 33 years old at the start of next season. He hasn't made the All-Star team since 2022. In 2026, he had a career-low .629 OPS across 109 games.
While Cronenworth has been an integral player for the Padres over the last seven years, he could be a prime candidate to be moved this offseason. Not only would the Padres be shedding some payroll, but they would open up second base to keep the face of their franchise happy.
Tatis hasn't kept it a secret that he prefers playing in the infield . However, it's been difficult for the Padres to justify moving a Platinum Glove right fielder to second base full time.
When Tatis was struggling mightily with his bat this season, they moved him to second base to give him a different look. That's also when his bat started to come to life.
Tatis is entering the seventh season of his 14-year, $340 million contract. He's in the prime of his career at 27 years old.
Making sure he's playing at an elite level is paramount to the Padres' success. Thus, making sure he's happy should be their top priority.
The only potential hurdle in a trade -aside from finding a partner to take on Cronenworth's contract -is his partial no-trade clause. However, that only allows him to pick eight teams in which he would not accept a trade.
That gives the Padres plenty of suitors in a would-be deal. If they happened to make an agreement with someone on his no-trade list, they could theoretically convince him to waive it.
If the Padres are fine with eating some of the salary, it shouldn't be difficult to find an interested suitor. If the Padres are looking to get his entire contract off their books, they could be forced to part with a prospect to make it happen.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com/mlb/padres/onsi as One Bold Padres Trade That Actually Makes Sense This Offseason .
