📰 NEWS FLASH: Reports suggest the Padres haven’t stopped shopping Jake Cronenworth, and rival teams are watching closely for an opening ⚡.NL
It is being reported that the San Diego Padres are shopping infielder Jake Cronenworth.
A.J. Preller is one of the most aggressive GMs in all of MLB.
The San Diego Padres’ head roster builder is in the last year of his contract and motivated more than ever to hoist a World Series title.
With five years and just over $61.4 million left on Jake Cronenworth‘s contract, the San Diego Padres are shopping the infielder. Well, at least that is what reports indicate. The Padres would surely like to save his $12.285 million in AAV per season. There are several issues on the roster that need to be addressed, and that money could be very useful.
The most pressing problem is the starting staff, where Nick Pivetta, Joe Musgrove, and Randy Vasquez headline the group. Musgrove is coming off Tommy John surgery and will be limited in his innings pitched. It is believed that he will be hard-pressed to eclipse 140-160 innings in the season.
The Padres have playoff aspirations, and that complicates things further as Musgrove will need to be ready to throw late in the year and into the playoffs. One must figure, the Padres will need to rest him at some point in the season for the pitcher to be useful in the playoffs.
The Padres, plain and simply, require depth at the starting pitcher position to be relevant in the league. Matt Waldron, JP Sears, and Jhony Brito provide some depth, but there are certainly not pitchers you want to rely on heading into the 2026 season. No disrespect, but the team needs better arms. The Padres are saying that Adrian Morejon, Mason Miller, and David Morgan will remain in the bullpen, so help will not come internally.
Cronenworth provides some value, but the Padres will need to deal from their prospect depth to really obtain a pitcher of relevance. That is exactly what they need. An ace. In fact, some would argue they need two top-of-the-rotation-type pitchers. In the playoffs, pitching is really important. San Diego will need arms they can rely on.
Jake Cronenworth provides value as he can play multiple positions and is a left-handed bat. His ability to play all over the infield is useful as the six-year veteran even manned some games at shortstop for the Padres in 2025. His $12.2 million salary is becoming a bargain as players’ salaries continue to rise each winter.
The Padres would love to deal the infielder for controllable starting pitching. A player who is under contract for the next two or three seasons at a reasonable price.
There is a lot of speculation, but nothing has come to fruition as of yet. Jake Cronenwroth is a name to monitor as the Padres attend to restructure the roster heading into the 2026 season. Anything can happen with A.J. Preller at the helm. We all wait in anticipation.
James was born and raised in America’s Finest City. He is a passionate baseball fan with even more passion towards his hometown Padres. James has written about the Padres and their prospects for over a decade. He also writes about San Diego State as well as other local sports. James is the Editor-In-Chief of EastVillageTimes.com. Always striving to bring you the highest quality in San Diego Sports News. Original content, with original ideas, that’s our motto. Enjoy.
