Padres eye OF upgrades, opportunity during spring camp 

PEORIA, Ariz. -- The Padres have postseason aspirations and an incomplete roster.

That was the backdrop on Tuesday, as general manager A.J. Preller held his annual early-spring media availability. Here are three key takeaways:

1) Open for business

With vacancies in the outfield, the rotation and the bench, the Padres have spent the early part of camp praising their internal options. But Preller made clear what should’ve been clear already: He's looking for upgrades.

• Projecting the Padres' 2024 Opening Day roster

"There's going to be some fun competitions to watch here in Spring Training," Preller said. "But, again, it's been a later-developing market really. We've had, honestly, trade conversations that are still ongoing. Usually at this point in the season, most teams are focused on: They have their roster, getting into Spring Training, going and playing.

"We've been pretty active. ... We're always going to be looking to add and improve. The team that starts camp here in the next couple days, it's not going to be the team that, obviously, we finish with."

Asked to assess the team's needs, Preller put outfield at the top of the list. But he's exploring all avenues.

The Padres have made it clear that they think highly of their in-house starting-pitching options. But... do they think highly enough to enter the season with a rotation that features Yu Darvish, Joe Musgrove, Michael King and a whole bunch of question marks?

"We like what we have in camp," Preller said. "But we're always open. You can never have enough starting pitching. It's not just an adage; it's the truth. ... You're always looking to add."

2) Prospects and opportunity

Wherever the Padres add in the coming weeks, Preller made it clear that there will be opportunity available for the group of young players currently knocking on the door of the big leagues.

Most notably, that includes shortstop Jackson Merrill, ranked as the team's No. 2 prospect by MLB Pipeline. Merrill divulged on Tuesday that he spent the offseason splitting reps evenly among shortstop, second base, left field and center field. His path to a roster spot is likely predicated on his versatility.

"I feel like I've been given a pretty good opportunity to come and compete for a job anywhere on the field," Merrill said.

Still, the most obvious opening is in left field, and if Merrill were to make the team, that's where he'd get the bulk of his reps. Jakob Marsee, the team's No. 13 prospect and the reigning Arizona Fall League MVP, can play center and is also vying for a roster spot. No. 12 prospect Graham Pauley could win a place as a bench piece -- a lefty hitter capable of playing second, third and left.

In the rotation, top prospects Robby Snelling, Drew Thorpe and Jairo Iriarte are in camp competing for places at the back end. All three are longshots. But Preller has promoted aggressively before. On Tuesday, he circled back to Fernando Tatis Jr.'s 2019 callup at the end of spring.

"That's what we're looking for," Preller said. "Players to come in here and just take the job and make it pretty clear that they're the best option for us. If they don't really do that, it probably means they need more time down in the Minor Leagues. ... When guys are ready, they show you."

3) Kim-possibilities

Ha-Seong Kim is an integral part of the Padres’ infield -- a gifted defender at multiple positions and a nuisance at the plate. He’s beloved in the clubhouse and beloved by the fanbase.

He’s also a free agent after the season. The offseason saw plenty of trade buzz surrounding Kim, given his contract status and the team’s excess of infielders.

“We had a lot of conversation about a lot of our players,” Preller said. “With the Kim situation, we were pretty consistent through the offseason. You’re never going to hang up the phone. You’re always going to listen on any player when anybody calls. But it wasn’t something we were pushing.

“We see him as a huge part of our team. Most likely, if we’re going to play well, it’s Ha-Seong Kim in the middle of the diamond.”

As for the possibility of an extension that would keep Kim in San Diego beyond 2024 (and seemingly entrench him as the shortstop of the future when Xander Bogaerts moves off the position)?

“I’m not going to go into any real details,” Preller said. “We’ve made it known to Ha-Seong that we value him. He understands that. Ultimately, it’s hard to line up on some of these things. How that all plays out over the course of the next few months, that’ll be between us and Ha-Seong and his representatives.”