The postseason will transfer on with out the Padres concerned Sunday when the Mets journey to Dodger Stadium for Sport 1 of the NLCS, and the Padres now determine to show their consideration to constructing for the 2025 season. Among the many high wants to deal with on the membership’s offseason to-do listing figures to be addressing the wants created by the doable departure of pending free brokers. Infielder Ha-Seong Kim is probably the membership’s most high-profile free agent, although between his current surgical procedure leaving questions concerning his market and San Diego’s appreciable depth within the center infield, left fielder Jurickson Profar and catcher Kyle Higashioka are seemingly increased priorities for the membership to both return or change.
Within the case of Profar, the 31-year-old has made clear that he prefers to stick with the Padres. Profar instructed reporters (together with MLB.com’s AJ Cassavell) yesterday that he hopes to return to San Diego subsequent 12 months earlier than acknowledging that the choice isn’t “completely in [his] arms,” including that the Padres “have gotten to need [him], too.”
After signing a one-year cope with the Padres over the offseason that assured him simply $1M final 12 months, Profar loved a breakout season that’s certain to earn him a big pay increase headed into 2025. In 158 video games with San Diego this 12 months, Profar slashed a superb .280/.380/.459 (139 wRC+) with 24 residence runs, 10 steals, a powerful 11.1% stroll fee and a very good 15.1% strikeout fee. That robust all-around play got here collectively to create by far probably the most invaluable season of Profar’s profession as he posted 4.3 fWAR, leaving him sandwiched between Mookie Betts and Kyle Tucker because the seventh most beneficial outfielder in baseball this 12 months.
That robust season ought to make Profar among the many most attention-grabbing free brokers of the winter. Worthwhile as his offense was this 12 months, he gives just about no defensive worth as a below-average glove restricted to left discipline and his monitor file on offense is spotty at finest. Profar’s profession wRC+ is definitely under league common (99) even after this 12 months’s phenomenal marketing campaign, and even his 107 wRC+ since first becoming a member of San Diego in 2020 is nearer to strong than spectacular for a participant of Profar’s restricted defensive worth. If these doable pink flags go away groups cautious about giving Profar a hefty assure, it’s definitely possible to think about the edges working one thing out to maintain the veteran in San Diego going ahead.
After all, a Profar reunion would solely serve to additional elevate what already figures to be an advanced payroll image for the Padres subsequent 12 months. The membership is at the moment set to be on the hook for simply over $207M based on RosterResource subsequent 12 months, with a payroll of greater than $243M for luxurious tax functions. It’s doable that offseason trades or maybe even a artistic extension for an arbitration-level participant like Luis Arraez may decrease these numbers, however the Padres nonetheless seem more likely to be nearing their payroll capability even earlier than reuniting with Profar or addressing the a number of holes within the membership’s rotation.
That might go away the Padres needing to scrimp on different components of the roster, significantly in the event that they hope to retain Profar. One place the place the membership may look to economize is behind the plate, the place Kyle Higashioka impressed in his closing 12 months earlier than free company with 17 homers in 263 journeys to the plate for the Padres this 12 months. Very like Profar, Higashioka indicated an curiosity in returning to the Padres as he heads into free company, telling reporters (together with Kevin Acee of the San Diego Union-Tribune) that he cherished enjoying in southern California and that his time with the Padres has been probably the most enjoyable he’s had with a crew.
With Higashioka probably in line for a hefty increase this winter, nonetheless, Acee means that San Diego brass may as a substitute look to half methods with each him and Kim this winter as they look forward to the upcoming arrival of the membership’s high prospects. Catcher Ethan Salas entered the 2024 season as a consensus top-10 prospect in baseball after reaching the Double-A stage as a 17-year-old, however Acee notes that shortstop prospect Leodalis De Vries, who turned 18 simply two days in the past, is much more extremely regarded by Padres brass.
What’s extra, Acee notes that there have been discussions throughout the group about the potential for each teenage phenoms making their big-league debuts as quickly as 2025. If the Padres really consider each gamers could possibly be prepared for the majors someday subsequent 12 months, that might incentivize them to concentrate on different areas of the roster this winter and stick with comparatively short-term choices behind the plate and at shortstop who could possibly be pushed apart within the occasion that Salas or De Vries cracks the large league roster.
After all, each gamers would want to rocket by the minor leagues at a breakneck tempo to achieve the majors subsequent 12 months. Salas spent your entire 2024 season on the Excessive-A stage and slashed a lackluster .206/.288/.311 in 111 video games with the membership, whereas De Vries slashed a superb .238/.361/.442 throughout 75 video games in his first style {of professional} motion this 12 months however has not but performed above the Single-A stage. Whereas breakout rookie Jackson Merrill stands for instance of San Diego’s willingness to push high prospects aggressively, even he had almost 50 video games of success within the higher minors earlier than cracking the large league roster.
