5 priorities for the Padres nearing the spring

This story was excerpted from AJ Cassavell’s Padres Beat publication. To learn the complete publication, click on right here. And subscribe to get it repeatedly in your inbox.

There’s nonetheless work to do.

With simply over a month till pitchers and catchers report back to Spring Training, the Padres have grown more and more snug with the state of their roster getting into the 2023 season. But there are a couple of items that have to fall into place.

Here’s a take a look at 5 issues the Padres should care for within the early months of 2023:

1. Find pitching depth
This ought to be precedence No. 1. Even if the Padres imagine they’re going to enter the season with a rotation of Yu Darvish, Joe Musgrove, Blake Snell, Martinez and Lugo, there’s simply not sufficient organizational beginning pitching depth.

It’s totally doable {that a} Triple-A arm like Jay Groome or Ryan Weathers may assist fill that void. Maybe Adrian Morejon will reply nicely to his transition to a starter’s workload. But if the Padres have been to enter the common season with these as their main depth choices, they’d be taking a threat. An damage or two of their rotation — nonetheless minor — may derail their lofty 2023 ambitions.

A 12 months in the past, the Padres discovered appropriate beginning pitching depth, primarily getting into the 12 months with seven succesful massive league beginning pitchers.

There are nonetheless free brokers available for the again finish of the rotation. There’s additionally the likelihood the Padres may deal for a starter — although the farm system is much extra barren than it was once they pulled off their Snell-Darvish-Musgrove coup two winters in the past.

2. Explore the catching/outfield market
Unlike the pitching aspect of issues, the offensive upgrades do not feel necessary.

It’s straightforward to examine the Padres getting into the season with Austin Nola and Luis Campusano behind the plate. It’s much less seemingly — but additionally totally doable — that they are going to enter the season with their present outfield combine, presuming Fernando Tatis Jr. would make a full-time transition.

The Padres’ offense is loaded. But if there are any weaknesses, it is these two. Campusano is unproven and Nola may be finest served as extra of a part-time starter. In the outfield, Tatis and Soto present loads of thump. But the lefty-hitting Trent Grisham may maybe use a platoon accomplice.

3. Fill out the teaching workers
The Padres have but to announce their teaching workers, having typically accomplished so in December in years previous.

There’s not a lot left to kind out, with supervisor Bob Melvin set to convey again nearly all of his workers. But the departures of hitting coach Michael Brdar and catching coach Francisco Cervelli depart two spots open.

Brdar’s departure does not essentially mandate a hitting-coach rent. It’s anticipated that Ryan Flaherty will transfer into that position — although little will change concerning his duties, as Flaherty, Brdar and hitting teacher Morgan Burkhart all chipped in on the hitting aspect of issues. Still, the Padres want to add one other staffer to work alongside Flaherty and Burkhart in 2023. The title of that rent stays to be seen.

4. Settle arb instances
In A.J. Preller’s nine-year tenure because the Padres’ common supervisor, he is by no means gone to an arbitration listening to. He additionally hasn’t had many arbitration instances as attention-grabbing as this winter’s.

First and foremost, Juan Soto is due a increase on his $17.1 million wage from 2022. He’s getting into his penultimate season of arbitration eligibility. Meanwhile, Josh Hader will get a bump from his $11 million wage. That’s two perennial All-Stars the Padres nonetheless should try and settle with.

On high of that, Jake Cronenworth, Grisham, Tim Hill, Morejon and Nola are arbitration-eligible. The deadline for sides to alternate figures for arbitration is Jan. 13 (although salaries can nonetheless be agreed upon as soon as figures are exchanged).

5. Finalize spring rosters
Remember the Padres’ points within the rotation, at catcher and within the outfield? Well, they’ve already added Julio Teheran, Pedro Severino and David Dahl on Minor League offers — a minimum of considerably fortifying their choices for these positions.

Those three will probably be non-roster invitees to Spring Training. At some level over the subsequent month, the Padres will unveil their full spring roster, replete with different potential depth items. It can typically really feel like one thing of a formality. But lately San Diego has gotten significant contributions from each José Azocar and Nabil Crismatt, every of whom have been NRIs up to now two seasons. The reality is, if the Padres can get massive league-caliber manufacturing from an NRI or two, it’ll go a good distance of their roster development.