LAS VEGAS — The Padres have no intention of trading Fernando Tatis Jr. this offseason.
A report early in the week became a talking point as the possibility mushroomed as it wound through the vast expanse of the World Wide Web and made its way to the General Manager Meetings at The Cosmopolitan hotel.
“We’re not trading Tatis,” one Padres source said emphatically on Wednesday.
Multiple team sources said over the past two days that the idea of moving their All-Star right fielder and one of the most popular players in the major leagues has not been discussed internally or with other teams this offseason.
The rationale for trading Tatis, who won his second Platinum Glove award and ranked 15th in the National League with an .814 OPS this past season, is based largely on his contractual situation and that of other Padres stars.
Tatis, who turns 27 in January, is due slightly more than $290 million over the nine years remaining on a contract he signed in 2021.
He is one of three players the Padres owe at least $200 million over the next several years. The others, Manny Machado ($299 million over eight years) and Xander Bogaerts ($203.6 million over eight years), are both 33 years old and would likely be impossible to trade without eating a large chunk of salary.
Had Tatis not been locked up by the Padres, he would have been a free agent this offseason.
The average annual value of $32.4 million over the remainder of Tatis’ deal likely does not represent much of a savings, but that a player in his prime would be under control through his age-35 season is somewhat extraordinary.
“He isn’t getting a nine-year deal now,” one National League executive said on Tuesday. “He is probably getting about that on the AAV.”
Two American League general managers opined Tatis would likely be in line for a short option-laden contract if he were a free agent now.
Tatis was one of 10 players in the major leagues to hit at least 25 home runs and steal at least 30 bases in 2025. (He had 25 and 32.)
The threat of Tatis being traded might surface for real in the future if the Padres need to cut costs in order to round out their roster. Bogaerts, Machado and Tatis will cost a combined $90.25 million a year in 2027 and ‘28, and they will make a combined $101.25 million every season from 2029 through ‘33.
But Padres officials have essentially vowed to maintain payroll at a level that keeps the Padres among the top third of spenders among the league’s 30 teams for 2026.
“We think we can be at a similar level to where we’ve been in the top 10,” CEO Erik Greupner said this week. “And that allows us to be competitive and ultimately win a championship.”
The Padres believe they can add a pair of starting pitchers within their budgetary parameters.
Supplementing the rotation is the clear priority. The Padres are as set in the field as they have been in several years, as they bring back eight of the nine players who started their final postseason game.
“We feel good about the core position players that we have,” Padres President of Baseball Operations A.J. Preller said. “We picked up Ramon Laureano’s option. We’ve got (Jackson) Merrill coming back. We’ve got Tatis. We’ve got Bogaerts, (Jake) Cronenworth, Machado and (Gavin) Sheets. We can round out a roster and a lineup right now. I think it’s about finding pieces that go with the current group that we have. … We probably need a corner bat. We’ll have more conversation (about) left(-handed), right-(handed), power versus hitter, platoon versus everyday guy.”
In the course of their dealing this winter, the Padres may well trade one of those core players. Jake Cronenworth and Gavin Sheets are intriguing options for clubs based on club control and affordability.
But they do not plan to have discussions about finding a new right fielder.
