SAN DIEGO — The Padres’ week of roster shuffling is complete.
Meanwhile, lefty Omar Cruz and righty Sean Reynolds, who were not yet eligible for salary arbitration, were non-tendered by the Padres ahead of Friday’s deadline, making them free agents. The team’s 40-man roster now sits at 34 players.
Here’s what it all means:
Campusano is back
Another year, another winter in which the Padres have expressed a belief that this coming season will be the one in which Campusano finally breaks out. The 27-year-old backstop appeared in just 10 big league games last season, and none behind the plate. But he ranked among the best hitters in the Minor Leagues, batting .336 with a 1.036 OPS for Triple-A El Paso.
A onetime top prospect, Campusano has spent parts of six seasons in the big leagues but only accrued 592 plate appearances. Behind the plate, Campusano has been mostly subpar, to the point where it’s worth wondering if he’d be best suited as a DH/first base type instead. But following Elias Díaz’s departure, the Padres are looking for a backup catcher behind Fermin.
At the plate, Campusano has shown flashes — including an .847 OPS across 49 games in 2023. But he hasn’t put it all together in the Majors.
Perhaps this is the year that he does. Campusano is out of options, meaning he can’t be sent to the Minors without first clearing waivers. But there is a bench spot available — and perhaps regular at-bats against lefties — for Campusano if he can build on his excellent 2025 Minor League season. It would be a long time coming.
Intriguing negotiations ahead
Campusano’s contract leaves the Padres with six remaining arbitration-eligible players — Adam, Miller, Morejon, Sears, Fermin and Sheets. Though, based on recent history, it’s highly unlikely anyone from that group is headed to arbitration.
This is Preller’s 12th offseason as Padres general manager. He’s never seen a case reach arbitration — where the two sides each file a salary proposal, then a panel of arbiters chooses between the two. Preller’s Padres have come to an agreement with every arb-eligible player in his tenure — often before the filing deadline. The last Padre to reach arbitration was Andrew Cashner in 2013.
Still, there will be some very interesting negotiations forthcoming, particularly in the bullpen with Adam, Miller and Morejon. Sheets is coming off a breakout season with the Padres as well.
Still serious depth in the ‘pen
Presumably, the Padres wouldn’t mind bringing back Reynolds and/or Cruz on a Minor League deal. But the reality is: Their bullpen is already a major strength, and there are enough holes elsewhere that they decided they would need the roster space to focus on other areas of need, particularly the rotation.
On Monday, San Diego agreed to a one-year deal to bring back Kyle Hart (with a team option for 2027). Hart’s role remains unclear but his stuff played up significantly in the bullpen late last season. On Tuesday, right-hander Garrett Hawkins was added to the team’s 40-man roster, ahead of the deadline to protect eligible prospects from the Rule 5 Draft.
If you include Hart in the bullpen mix, the Padres have 13 presumed relievers on their 40-man roster. They have only seven starters — and one of them is Yu Darvish, who is slated to miss the season following elbow surgery. Another is 23-year-old Miguel Mendez, the team’s No. 5 prospect and a fast riser in the system — but a highly unlikely Opening Day rotation candidate.
Notably, right-hander Jhony Brito — who underwent UCL internal brace surgery and a flexor tendon repair last April — was tendered a contract and will return to the club. He is expected back at some point in the first half. Prior to his injury, he had begun a transition to a bullpen role, but it’s unclear which spot he’d fill when he returns.
