Padres 2025 Winter Meetings Primer: Rumors, Schedules, and A.J. Preller's Stomping Grounds

The 2025 Winter Meetings are nearly upon us! The annual four-day event begins officially on December 8 in Orlando, Flordia, though most teams will begin arriving by Sunday, Dec. 7.

There's a lot that tends to go down at the Meetings every year, so let's break down the schedule, and the biggest rumors and noise surrounding the San Diego Padres heading into the offseason's biggest event.

Padres' Offseason Thus Far

The Friars' offseason has been defined more by loss rather than gain. Dylan Cease signed a mega-contract with the Toronto Blue Jays, Robert Suarez opted out of his contract, and Ryan O'Hearn, Michael King, and Luis Arraez all remain free agents.

In terms of additions, the team did reunite with Kyle Hart on a one-year contract, and they've signed relief pitcher Ty Adcock to a one-year deal.

Thus far, it's been mostly quiet in San Diego. They protected a pair of prospects from the Rule 5 Draft (Garrett Hawkins, Miguel Mendez), non-tendered some relievers (Omar Cruz, Sean Reynolds), and generally prepared the 40-man roster for what should be another busy offseason. There's a lot than needs to be done to make Craig Stammen's first year on the bench a successful one, and that action should begin at the Winter Meetings.

2025 Winter Meeting Schedule

Location: Orlando, FL

December 8 marks the first official day of the meetings, and it should be a busy one. There's already been a number of notable moves made this offseason, from the Dylan Cease signing to the New York Mets and Texas Rangers' blockbuster trade involving Marcus Semien and Brandon Nimmo. The big expectation is that at least two of the big three Japanese stars (Munetaka Murakami, Kazuma Okamoto, and Tatsuya Imai) will sign at the Meetings, as their posting windows will close within the next month and change.

December 9 will be when the league's annual MLB Draft Lottery takes place, though by virtue of making the playoffs in 2025, the Padres won't find themselves in contention for the No. 1 overall pick.

December 10 will feature the Rule 5 Draft, in which teams can selected unprotected prospects from other organizations. In order to keep drafted players, teams must keep them on the active 26-man roster (or the 60-day IL) throughout the remainder of the following season; otherwise, the prospects' original team can take them back. In terms of recent Rule 5 picks, the Padres haven't had a ton of success, with their most notable selection being Stephen Kolek, who was traded at the deadline for Freddy Fermin. Years ago, the team did pick up valuable contributors like Everth Cabrera (2008) and Shane Victorino (2002).

The Winter Meetings will officially end on December 11, though most teams will depart from Orlando before the finish line is crossed. Still, the groundwork laid in Florida will lead to a cascade of signings and trades through the New Year.

Padres Winter Meetings Rumor Roundup

When will the Seidlers sell the franchise?
Admittedly, this is the thing that looms over everything in Padres Land right now. The team's glut of huge, long-term contracts and declining veterans aren't likely to interest a lot of buyers, so it's possible A.J. Preller gets one more green light to go all-in on 2026, and then the team holds a huge fire sale prior to/after the impending 2027 lockout. As things stand, there's simply not a lot of extra money ready to be funneled into baseball operations, and the farm system is dry. It'll be tough to get free agents to sign with so many long-term questions hanging over the franchise.

Will the Padres bring in a legitimate rotation member?
With King and Cease out the door -- not to mention Yu Darvish's elbow surgery -- the Padres simply have to add starting pitching in order to compete with the Los Angeles Dodgers in the NL West. To put it bluntly: Nick Pivetta and Joe Musgrove aren't cutting it. They certainly don't have the resources to sign a Framber Valdez or trade for a Tarik Skubal, but could Tatsuya Imai or one of the Kansas City Royals' many starters be in play? Preller probably won't pull off a Juan Soto-esque blockbuster this time around, but if anyone can make something happen, it's him.

Can the team get first base help and clear salary at the same time?
This will be difficult to pull off, but with Arraez and O'Hearn likely to find new teams this winter, the Padres need someone to man the cold corner in 2026 (and beyond). The aforementioned Royals have Vinnie Pasquantino, who hit 32 home runs in 2025, holding down the fort right now. Could the Padres somehow pull off a blockbuster for him and a starter while offloading a salary like Jake Cronenworth's? It would take all of the prospect talent left in the system, but if 2026 is the last dance for this core, perhaps Preller would pull the trigger.

Any more bullpen reinforcements incoming?
Peculiarly, both of the padres' big-league signings thus far (Hart and Adcock) are relief arms, though Hart may be pressed into starting duty next year due to necessity. With rumors of Mason Miller and/or Adrian Morejon potentially stepping back into the rotation to fill some gaps, might the Padres continue to seek cheap bullpen help to round out the pitching staff? Or perhaps a reunion with Suarez or an agreement with Edwin Diaz could give the team enough bravado to try Miller out in a starting role.