What is the story about?
The San Diego Padres agreed to contracts with six arbitration eligible players before the deadline, Thursday. Relievers Mason Miller, Adrian Morejon and Jason Adam, position players Gavin Sheets and Freddy Fermin and starter JP Sears all agreed to contracts that will keep them and the Padres out of arbitration hearings. Luis Campusano was also arbitration eligible but agreed to a contract in November. San Diego has not gone to an arbitration hearing during A.J. Preller’s tenure as president of baseball
operations and general manager.
Padres News:
- Campusano tore up Triple-A pitching but struggled mightily at the plate with limited opportunities in the big leagues in 2025. The upcoming Spring Training will be the most important of his career as he is out of options and will have to make the Padres roster. Jeff Sanders of the San Diego Union-Tribune looks closer at what Campusano will have to do to remain in San Diego.
- Jim Bowden of The Athletic identifies the Padres as one of five teams that have regressed this offseason. He states San Diego has done little to address areas of need and has seen multiple players leave the organization via free agency. As a result, Bowden believes the San Francisco Giants are the second best team in the NL West behind the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Baseball News:
- Dozens of players across MLB agreed to contracts with their respective teams before the arbitration deadline, but many did not and they will have arbitration hearings to determine the player’s pay for 2026. One such player and team is two-time American League Cy Young Award winner Tarik Skubal and the Detroit Tigers, who were unable to reach a contract agreement before the arbitration deadline. The Tigers and Skubal filed numbers that resulted in them being $13 million apart.
- The more the offseason drags on, the more time the Dodgers have to attract some of the top free agents on the market. The back-to-back World Series Champions, along with the Toronto Blue Jays and New York Mets, are reportedly looking at the possibility of adding Kyle Tucker.
- The New York Yankees, who have been working to re-sign free agent Cody Bellinger, are reported to be looking to the trade market to address pitching needs.
- The Philadelphia Phillies and free agent infielder Bo Bichette have reportedly scheduled a meeting to discuss the potential for Bichette to play alongside Bryce Harper and Trae Turner in Philly.
