The San Diego Padres this offseason have once again been among the most active of teams, and even after committing more than $600 million to sign Xander Bogaerts and extend Manny Machado, they may not be done. That's because, as Jon Heyman reports, the club very soon is likely to approach outfielder Juan Soto and closer Josh Hader about contract extensions.
In Soto's case, the Padres acquired him at last year's deadline as part of a seven-player blockbuster swap with the Washington Nationals. Simply put, Soto is one of the best hitters in baseball when it comes hitting for power and reaching base -- i.e., the two most important things a hitter can do. Across parts of five MLB seasons, Soto has a slash line of .287/.424/.526 (157 OPS+), and he's averaged 33 home runs and 133 walks per 162 games played. Significantly increasing Soto's long-term value is the fact that he's still just 24 years of age.
Given his consistency, high offensive ceiling, and relative youth, signing Soto to a multi-year extension is going to be a pricey proposition, and it's possible any Soto extension would be of the record-setting variety. That said, such an investment will very likely be worth it and then some for the Padres. Soto isn't eligible for free agency until after the 2024 season, so the Padres aren't necessarily in "do or die" territory this spring when it comes to signing him to an extension. No doubt, though, they'd love to have such long-term certainty in place sooner rather than later.
As for Hader, who turns 29 in early April, he'll be eligible for free agency after the upcoming season. Given that many players, particularly those in their walk years, don't like to have contract negotiations drag into the regular season, the Padres' opening for an extension may be a narrow one. San Diego picked up Hader last deadline -- the day before they landed Soto -- in a five-player swap with the Brewers. The lefty had long been one of the dominant closers in baseball, but he endured uncharacteristic struggles last season, both before and immediately after the trade. However, Hader found his old level late in the regular season and during the Padres' run to the NLCS last season. Thus, the Padres would now like to keep him in the fold and at the top of the bullpen pecking order.
With Opening Day less than a month away, signing both stars to extensions might seem like a heavy lift, but the Padres are, quite laudably, nothing if not committed to investing in the roster. Good-faith offers can hasten the process, and the Padres have proved willing to do what it takes when it comes to such matters. Under owner Peter Seidler, San Diego has invested in the on-field product at levels that defy their market size -- and embarrass those small-market owners unwilling to do even a sliver of the same -- and that seems poised to continue.
