The San Diego Padres are not going to trade Manny Machado or Fernando Tatis Jr. this offseason.
Padres won’t cut costs by trading two crucial stars
MLB franchises holding their breath at the thought of making a play for the two exceptional talents can exhale after catching wind of Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic’s recent report. As ClutchPoints’ Brayden Haena relayed, Rosenthal revealed this on “Foul Territory” on Thursday:
“Tatis and Machado aren’t going anywhere,” Rosenthal said on The Athletic’s podcast. “They both have long deals, and they both have no-trade clauses. That’s not where they’re at.”
Padres: Manny Machado & Fernando Tatis Jr. proved worth in 2024
The Padres are on the books for $150.3 million next season and Spotrac projects their total cap allocation to sit at $205.1 million. Tatis Jr. ($20.71 million) and Machado ($17.09 million) are the third and fifth-highest-paid players on San Diego’s roster heading into next year.
While unloading one or both of their contracts may clear cap space, the Padres would lose formidable bats in their order. Machado finished No. 16 in the National League MVP race thanks in part to the 29 home runs, 105 RBIs, and .275/.325/.472 slash line he boasted in 2024. Tatis Jr. also played great last season, scoring 64 runs and sporting an .833 OPS on his way to his second career All-Star nod.
Padres entertaining trades elsewhere to manage payroll
That being said, the Padres will hang on to both stars and instead look to unload talents approaching the final year of their deals such as ace Dylan Cease and Luis Arraez. Retaining Machado and Tatis Jr. comes with security, as Machado will enter the third year of the 11-year, $350 million extension he signed in 2023 and the latter will enter the fifth year of the 14-year, $340 million deal he agreed to back in 2021.
