SAN DIEGO — General manager A.J. Preller says the San Diego Padres’ offseason shopping is far from finished.
And while he’s looking for another starting pitcher and another veteran bat or two over the next few weeks, Preller seems confident he’ll also put ink to a contract extension for himself.
Speaking at the annual Padres FanFest at Petco Park on Saturday, Preller said the Padres’ relatively quiet offseason wasn’t the result of uncertainty around the club’s possible sale or the GM’s own lame-duck contract status.
While Preller hasn’t done much this winter beyond re-signing right-hander Michael King and signing South Korean infielder Sung-mun Song, he said he fully expects to make more moves in February.
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“You get to this point [in the offseason] and obviously you get the opportunity to hopefully get some players that are motivated, that want to be here, and get some deals that we feel like line up for us from a price standpoint and what we get in the player,” Preller said. “Hopefully we’re going to look to add some guys here in the next couple of weeks that help us a lot.”
Still, the Padres haven’t really bolstered the roster that will be led by new manager Craig Stammen this year, and the group that won 90 games last season has taken significant personnel losses.
Dependable starter Dylan Cease left for a $210 million deal with Toronto, while All-Star closer Robert Suarez got a $45 million contract with Atlanta. Hits leader Luis Arraez is an unsigned free agent, while deadline-acquisition slugger Ryan O’Hearn signed with Pittsburgh. Veteran starter Yu Darvish will miss the entire season with an elbow injury, and his career could be over.
Preller has spent the past several years making aggressive moves to fight the powerhouse Dodgers in the NL West, but he said the Padres don’t need to reduce their payroll under his current budget despite the team’s uncertain ownership situation. The family of late owner Peter Seidler announced last November that a sale of the team is being explored.
“We’re in a spot where you consider all different options as you go into the offseason,” Preller said. “Some of them were making trades and deals that would have taken the payroll down, but in terms of where we’re at now, we feel like it’s more about adding to the club. We’re not in a spot where we have to do anything because of a payroll kind of situation. It’s go round the team out and get players.”
Preller had no update on his own contract situation as he begins the final year of his current deal. The Padres’ top executive since 2014 has yet to extend his contract with new Padres chairman John Seidler.
“The timing … I think a little bit is on me,” Preller said. “The focus on winning and putting a team together and free agents and trades, I’m not great at focusing on anything other than that at this time of year. So I think that’s been part of it. And ultimately, I think I’ve been very consistent. I’m pretty realistic when it comes to making deals and what it looks like. Win-win deals [are] when everything is fair and honest and realistic, and I expect something to get done.”
But first, Preller is looking for more players.
Nick Pivetta, King and returning starter Joe Musgrove will lead the Padres’ rotation, while Randy Vasquez appears to be the top candidate to lock down another spot. Preller clearly wants more options.
“Bringing Michael back was huge, and then I think getting Joe back will be big on and off the field,” Preller said. “Continuing to add to the starting pitching side of things. I think we look to add a bat, or I think probably multiple bats, that first base, DH, anything off the bench — those are some areas that we’re going to look to address here in the next few weeks.”
San Diego also wants more offense around Fernando Tatís Jr., Manny Machado and Jackson Merrill. The Padres scored just five runs in their three-game Wild Card Series loss to the Chicago Cubs last October, while the rival Dodgers won their second straight World Series title.
Finding everything on Preller’s shopping list will be difficult, but he has made solid last-minute acquisitions in the past. After all, he added Pivetta and Cease to his team in previous spring trainings.
Tatís said he fixed some “mechanical” problems in his swing during the offseason. The three-time All-Star believes the Padres can compete with Los Angeles if they display more “consistency.”
“We can definitely play a better, higher level of baseball, and I’m just looking forward to that,” Tatís said.
