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Criticism of the offseason and the lack of moves made by San Diego Padres President of Baseball Operation and General Manager A.J. Preller was warranted. Preller changed the narrative of the offseason with a flurry of moves as Spring Training was getting under way. In one weekend the Padres added position players Nick Castellanos and Ty France and pitcher Griffin Canning, German Marquez and Walker Buehler. With those moves, Preller added depth to the roster and created competition in areas of need at designated hitter, first base and the starting rotation.
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Castellanos started the first Spring Training games and was held without a hit, but he showed promise that he could make a successful transition to first base with a couple plays on ground balls to his right, one of which required him to dive to make the stop, recover and make a good throw to Wandy Peralta who was covering first base to get the out.
The afore-mentioned moves followed the free agent addition of Miguel Andujar on a one-year $4 million deal that became official on Feb. 11. The Padres and Preller got to see the benefits of Andujar on the roster in their 7-5 win over the Milwaukee Brewers on Monday. He launched a solo home run to left field that got San Diego on the scoreboard and gave the Padres offense life.
There were also some additions that came early in the offseason that were almost forgotten about by many of the Friar Faithful. Jose Miranda, who was signed to a minor league deal in early January, has been one of the best players in camp after four Spring Training games. Samad Taylor is another January addition who signed a minor league deal who has performed well this spring.
It is fair to question the pitching additions that have thrown for San Diego this spring. Starters Triston Mackenzie and JP Sears, who was added at the 2025 trade deadline, were roughed up in their first spring outings. They each allowed four runs and were unable to complete an inning of work. Right-handed reliever Ty Adcock also did not look particularly sharp in outing on Sunday. He allowed a run on three singles, but he faced a string of left-handed hitters, which would not be a typical time for him to be on the mound.
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With all the additions/moves made by Preller, the fan perspective on the San Diego offseason has changed. A group that was largely disappointed in the lack of activity this offseason has reversed course and is more than pleased with the work that has been done to fill out the roster. With that being, said the roster could always be better and with Preller another move or moves could come before Opening Day.
