ORLANDO, Fla. — As of midday Wednesday, A.J. Preller’s flight plans were nebulous.
He had a reservation for later in the day and another for Thursday morning.
His travel depended largely on how things progressed in the various talks in which the Padres were engaged.
If Preller not being willing to commit to a Wednesday departure was an indication the team was close to swinging a deal, it was pretty much the lone apparent sign.
Speaking around noon in the suite that served as the Padres’ operations hub this week, Preller characterized discussions at baseball’s winter meetings as more informative than intense.
“Got a lot more information from teams and got a little better sense of what’s out there for the market,” Preller said. “Obviously, some players are signing, so that kind of starts to make that more clear about what’s becoming available on the trade market and the free agent market. So yeah, it’s been a productive couple days even though we haven’t landed on anything yet.
“I think there’s definitely some things that are getting more clear both on the trade front and on the free agent pursuits. I think we’re starting to get a better sense of some things that we may be able to do. But these things are fluid and can change hour to hour.”
And that fluidity is just one small issue contributing to the somewhat absurd exercise of reporting on rumblings at the winter meetings.
Still, there was increased buzz Wednesday about the Padres and what they might have in the works. But there was virtually nothing in the way of actionable intel among the murmurs in the various lobbies and corridors between the Hilton and Waldorf Astoria.
The same two sources who maintained all week the Padres were engaged on multiple fronts on potential deals that would address their needs said the team continued to pursue deals that would, according to one source, “be huge.” Those sources, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to talk publicly, were not clear how far those talks have progressed. That is not peculiar, as Preller’s circle tightens the further negotiations progress.
It seems virtually no one in the league is convinced the Padres won’t part with a reliever in their quest to add starting pitching despite their proclamations to the contrary. And there is a sentiment among a couple people who have been involved in talks with Padres officials that they are seeking to jettison some money as part of their machinations.
Even with the assurance by team chairman John Seidler that the 2026 payroll will be around the same level as last season, the Padres don’t seem to have the ability to add the two starting pitchers and the bat (first baseman/designated hitter) they need without shedding some payroll commitments.
One thing that has been established is they will not trade Fernando Tatis Jr. Several team sources had said several times that was the case.
On Wednesday, Preller was as expansive on the topic as he had publicly been this offseason.
“There’s a bunch of guys on our roster that we’re not looking to have conversations about,” Preller said. “… If somebody wants to say, ‘Hey, would you do this?’ you’re not gonna just, like, cover your ears and hang up the phone immediately. But I’ve seen the reports on Tatis and things like that. He’s one of the best players in baseball, is a two-time Platinum (Glove) winner. The guy has taken over portions of seasons and games and playoff series and everything like that.
“I think for us to get to where we want to get to, we need Fernando. We think he can be an A-lane, MVP, whatever kind of category you want to put on it. He can be that type of player. … Every one of the different versions and iterations of the team and roster we put up there, it’s ‘Tati’ right in the middle. Hopefully, he is one of the top players on our team this year.”
So, is he untouchable?
“He’s somebody that we’re not talking about,” Preller said. “However you want to say that; if you want to say that’s ‘untouchable,’ you can say that.”
Whenever Preller ended up catching a flight home, the end of the winter meetings was by no means anywhere near the end of the Padres’ search for (at least) a pair of starting pitchers.
“We know from the past experience,” Preller said, “that there’ll be some other guys we like and then more time left before our opening day to try to line up on some more talent.”
The Padres have for four consecutive spring trainings acquired a pitcher who became a significant part of their rotation.
They traded for Sean Manaea three days before the 2022 season opener. Michael Wacha signed shortly after pitchers and catchers reported in 2023. The trade for Dylan Cease was completed as the Padres were boarding a plane for their season-opening series in South Korea in 2024. Nick Pivetta signed on the day of the first official workout for pitchers and catchers last spring.
“You’ve just got to get a feel for the market, our budget, what we can do payroll-wise,” Preller said of the Padres’ approach. “I think the one thing we’ve established, both in trades and free agency, is we try to come up with value for players and individuals. If we line up, we’ll be aggressive, and we’ll see if we can do something. If not, we’ll be patient. … One thing that we try to establish is like, ‘Hey, this is our process. This is the value we put on players. And if we line up, great; if not, we’ll be patient.’ And hopefully, you know, later in the offseason, there’ll be something that fits better for us that we feel good about.”
