Preller confident in roster, but are Padres done?

PEORIA, Ariz. -- The Padres needed to find a big-time bat for the middle of their lineup. So they signed Xander Bogaerts.

The Padres needed DH options and bench depth. They signed Matt Carpenter, Nelson Cruz and Adam Engel.

The Padres needed to bolster the back of their rotation, so they re-signed Nick Martinez and added Seth Lugo. But they were still thin entering camp -- and now they appear to be on the verge of signing Michael Wacha, whose deal is pending a physical.

Essentially, every major area of concern on this Padres roster has been addressed in some way over the winter. Which leads to this important question:

Are the Padres done?

"Barring injury, if you're trying to forecast a 26-man, it's fairly easy to do," said Padres manager Bob Melvin. "There's not only depth on the big league roster, but also on the 40-man, too, and that's become really important."

To answer the question, no, the Padres are never done done. A.J. Preller is their general manager, and unpredictability seems to be his calling card. It was only last year when, in the week leading up to the regular season, the Padres traded for Sean Manaea and Taylor Rogers.

Still, while acknowledging the ever-present possibility of change, the difference this spring is that if the Padres were to start the season today, they'd be very content with this roster.

“We try to have as much talent, as much depth, as much quality of options for Bob and his staff to utilize,” Preller said. “We’ve built it with the long haul in mind, with the ultimate goal of getting to October.

"We feel like we’ve got a good roster that can handle the hurdles of a long Major League season.”

There is, perhaps, one spot left on the Opening Day roster for a position player to win. But that's the spot vacated by Fernando Tatis Jr. while he serves the remaining 20 games of his PED suspension.

That almost certainly wouldn’t necessitate another move, considering the wealth of options the Padres have for replacing Tatis over those first few weeks.

Really, the lone remaining item on the Padres’ offseason checklist would be exploring an extension with Manny Machado. (Both sides have expressed interest, though neither is commenting publicly on any negotiations.)

Regarding the 2023 roster itself, the Padres' offseason maneuverings might be over. And they seem quite pleased with the end result.

“We felt like we hit a lot of those boxes this offseason,” Preller said. “Now we’ll kind of get this group together and get ready for the season.”

More for Merrill
Top Padres prospect Jackson Merrill is in his first Major League camp with one objective:

“I just want to learn,” said the 19-year-old shortstop. “And as far as actual camp goes, I just want as many reps as possible, see this quality of pitching.”

Good news on that front -- Merrill should get plenty of playing time with three-quarters of the Padres infield slated to play in the World Baseball Classic.

“I’d like it if they were here, because it’d be easier to learn from them if they’re playing right in front of me,” Merrill said. “But getting the reps, getting the time with all the coaches and all the players that are still here like [Jake] Cronenworth -- it’s going to be really beneficial.”

Said Melvin: “He’s a very talented kid for his age. He does not look 19 right now. Really smooth, one of those kids that just is farther along at that age than maybe some others. … With Xander gone for a period of time, and Ha-Seong [Kim], too, he’s going to get some games.”

Martinez open to a Classic start
Last month, Martinez made the agonizing decision to pass on the World Baseball Classic. Team USA wanted him as a reliever, but he’d signed to be a starter in San Diego and needed to build toward that workload in camp.

Still, Martinez is still listed among Team USA’s reserves. Recently, the Yankees’ Nestor Cortes pulled out of the WBC with a hamstring injury.

“If a spot as a starter opens up, I would love to take advantage of that,” Martinez said. “It was difficult, because I had to say I couldn’t do it as a reliever -- just because of the progression, reliever vs. a starter. If I had a spot on Team USA as a starter, then it’s easier to manage and get those innings in and be ready to start the season as a starter.”