1. San Diego Padres
The San Diego Padres are coming off a strong season, though they ultimately lost to the Dodgers in the NLDS. They have eight players eligible for free agency, including starting pitcher Martin Perez, relief pitcher Tanner Scott, catchers Kyle Higashioka and Elias Diaz, left fielders David Peralta and Jurickson Profar, and middle-infielders Donovan Solano and Nick Ahmed.
Their offense ranked 2nd in batting average and 8th in runs per game this past season. Profar, Solano, and Peralta were significant contributors, but viable options are already on the roster to fill their void. One of those players is one of their top prospects, left fielder Tirso Ornelas.
The bullpen ranked 11th in ERA in 2024, with trade deadline acquisition Tanner Scott's 1.77 ERA greatly helping, but Scott is going to have many suitors. The starters ranked 13th in the same metric, and the team is returning its entire starting rotation.
However, Randy Vasquez and Matt Waldron had a 4.87 and 4.91 ERA, respectively. A big arm would be a huge improvement to the rotation. As we've seen in the past, the Padres' front office is open to throwing money at the most prominent names on the market.
The rotation could use a left-handed pitcher to join their rotation full of right-handers, but the best starter available is Corbin Burnes. The Padres only have $52 million in CBT space, but there are few holes in their 2025 roster, which makes going after Burnes a little more sensible. They could also seek a reunion with 2023 NL Cy Young winner Blake Snell, who (like Burnes) will likely be priced above the Max Fried tier of players.
Big free agent signings likely will not begin until the MLB Winter Meetings, which starts December 9. This is a four-day event where representatives from all MLB teams, agents, and media get together. It is traditionally the time when big free-agent signings and blockbuster trades occur, and the same should be expected with this year's loaded free agent class.