SF Giants division rivals have been oddly silent this offseason

The SF Giants have not been as active as in recent offseasons. However, they have been much more active in free agency than the San Diego Padres, who have not signed anyone to a major league deal this winter.

SF Giants division rivals have been oddly silent this offseason

On the other hand, the Giants have made two notable additions in Willy Adames and Justin Verlander. The Dodgers have been one of the most aggressive teams this winter as they have signed seven players to major league deals. This does include the reported signing of veteran reliever Kibry Yates.

The Rockies have handed out three major league deals, including Thairo Estrada. The Arizona Diamondbacks have made one big move in Corbin Burnes. However, the Padres are looking up at every other NL West team in terms of activity.

Yes, you read that right. The typically hyper-aggressive Padres have not signed a free agent this winter. They have been very aggressive in minor league free agency and even made a Rule 5 selection, but have yet to add any player on a major league deal.

There is a pretty intentional reason for this inactivity. There have been rumors of turmoil within the ownership group, partly leading to a decline in payroll over the past couple of seasons.

The Padres committed $291 million against the Competitive Balance Tax (CBT) in 2023. This was followed by a substantial decrease in payroll to $227 million last season. The Padres let nearly every one of their free agents walk and even traded away Juan Soto when it became apparent that they were not be able to re-sign him.

Cot's estimates that the Padres have a payroll of $246 million, which would cross the $241 million CBT threshold for 2025. This is without making a single move in the offseason.

The Padres have been silent but that does not mean they are not doing work behind the scenes. In an effort to reduce payroll even more, there are rumors that the team would consider trading away many of their top players with a few exceptions. Players such as Dylan Cease and Luis Arráez have been speculated as potential trade candidates.

The Padres are coming off of a 93-win season and posed the biggest challenge to the Los Angeles Dodgers in the playoffs. They still have a very talented team but they are not invested nearly as much into the team as they did a few seasons ago. That said, Padres team president of baseball operations A.J. Preller is always working the phones and looking at ways to improve the roster.