4 storylines for Padres fans to follow

SAN DIEGO -- The non-tender deadline came and went on Wednesday night, giving the Padres a baseline roster to work with this offseason.

There's clarity in-house: Tommy Pham is in, Greg Garcia is out. There's external clarity, too: The free-agent pool is set, and general manager A.J. Preller seems ready to go shopping.

With the meaty part of the Hot Stove season set to begin, here are four thoughts on where things stand for the Padres:

1. The offseason is now about pitching
There was an outside chance that the Padres would part ways with Pham, deeming his arbitration value too pricey for their 2021 plans. In that scenario, they had a hole to fill in their outfield, and they would've allocated resources toward filling it.

Instead, Pham will return, so San Diego is set across the diamond. All eight of its starting position players will be back. As such, according to one team official, "the focus is pitching."

Preller, of course, isn't one to rest on his laurels. If there's an offensive upgrade to be made, he will explore it. (That's particularly true if the presence of a designated hitter in the National League continues into 2021.)

But for now, the organization sees its most glaring holes in the rotation and the back end of the bullpen. Rightly so.

2. Trading for a starter won't be easy
Despite being active leading up to the Trade Deadline, the Padres still have plenty to deal from in a loaded farm system. But a trade for a starting pitcher might prove tricky.

If San Diego is going to sacrifice valuable pieces from within its system, the club would prefer to do so for a starter with multiple years of team control. That makes a one-year stopgap like veteran right-hander Lance Lynn seem unlikely (unless, of course, the price is right).

But starting pitchers with multiple years of control are never cheap. And this winter, they're especially scarce. It's a sellers' market.

Sure, the Rays have dangled Blake Snell (who won't be a free agent until after the 2023 season). According to a source, the Padres have expressed mild interest. But the price tag on a pitcher of Snell's ilk is expected to be exorbitant.

3. Are the Padres better served focusing on their bullpen?
Make no mistake, the Padres will add to their rotation mix this offseason. It simply isn't deep enough in the wake of Mike Clevinger's Tommy John surgery. But they might look toward the lower-middle tier of free agency to fill that void. Last month, Preller hinted at "value plays."

It's worth pondering the merits of that strategy and the impact it might have on Preller's bullpen pursuits. If San Diego is going to add two or three pitchers, where should the emphasis be? What, exactly, would turn the Padres into a World Series contender?

Snell would. And Trevor Bauer, the top free-agent starter, would, too. But they won't be cheap, and half the league is in the market for their services. San Diego would love to add a bona fide ace, but there's an argument to be made that back-end relief weapons should be its top priority.

Trevor Rosenthal and Kirby Yates are now free agents, and the Padres seem interested in a reunion with one or both. There are other big-name relief weapons available, too, including Liam Hendriks and former Padre Brad Hand. A number of valuable relievers were non-tendered on Wednesday as well.

San Diego already has a strong bullpen. With a couple additions, it can be an elite bullpen -- and elite bullpens play nicely in October.

4. It's time to build a bench from scratch
The Padres have starters returning at every position. But their bench -- a strength down the stretch in 2020 -- is suddenly barren.

Jason Castro and Jurickson Profar became free agents after the season. Mitch Moreland joined them when San Diego declined his option. And Garcia was the latest to hit free agency when he was not tendered a contract ahead of Wednesday's deadline.

That leaves Preller with some work to do. His bench options on the 40-man roster: outfielders Greg Allen and Jorge Oña, utility man Jorge Mateo, and catchers Luis Campusano and Francisco Mejía. That group leaves a lot to be desired.

Like most teams in the National League, the Padres are waiting on clarity regarding the designated hitter before solidifying roster plans. But it's safe to say they'll be looking for some left-handed thump, some infield depth and perhaps another veteran catching option.