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4:21 PM UTC
This story was excerpted from AJ Cassavell’s Padres Beat newsletter. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.
When I started preparing this Around the Horn series a few weeks ago, I expected that the San Diego outfield would look quite different by now. But as late January rolls around, the Padres still haven’t made a significant addition to the outfield this winter, even after trading Juan Soto and Trent Grisham to the Yankees.
So, with just two outfielders on the 40-man roster, it feels like the Padres are in a bit of a pickle. As the team gears up for their first Cactus League game in four weeks, they’ll need to make some moves pretty soon.
Right now, the outfield situation looks like this:
On the 40-man roster: Fernando Tatis Jr., José Azocar
Departures: Soto, Grisham, Jurickson Profar
Top-30 prospects: Samuel Zavala (No. 5), Dillon Head (No. 9), Jakob Marsee (No. 13), Homer Bush Jr. (No. 14)
But to be honest, the Padres still need two starters in their outfield. With few options available in the free-agent market and the general lack of impact free agents, it looks like a trade for an outfielder might be the most plausible route for the Padres at this point.