Why Padres and rest of MLB might have to act fast this offseason in free agency originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
There are plenty of teams with a lot on the line this upcoming free agency period, but no team might have more at stake than the San Diego Padres.
A team built to contend right now has a few key starting pitchers hitting the open market, along with maybe the best reliever, Adrian Morejon. It's going to be a busy offseason for the Padres as they try to figure out how best to build a contender in 2027.
However, as The Athletic's Andy McCullough revealed, the Padres might not have much time to make their free agent decisions. This upcoming free agency, all of MLB might be rushing to get deals done before MLB's lockout on December 1.
Padres and rest of MLB might need to act fast in free agency with lockout looming
"They (MLB executives and agents) pointed to the artificial December deadline and the uncertainty facing both sides of the labor dispute," McCullough writes. "Teams will want to set their rosters before the rules change. Players will seek security before the sport goes dark."
This is a very interesting dynamic that could wind up playing out this offseason. With the offseason beginning not long after the World Series ends, teams might only have a month to make their free agent decisions.
For a team like the Padres, with questions about Morejon, Michael King, Robbie Ray, Casey Mize, Nick Pivetta, and plenty of issues to resolve on their big league roster, it's going to be a hectic November.
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Since the Padres are a likely contender and a likely spender with a new ownership group taking over, it would not be a surprise if the Padres made significant investments in the roster this Fall before MLB's lockout begins on December 1.
But it's not just the Padres that will be looking to get the bulk of their deals done. Plenty of teams around baseball will be in a rush to work out new contracts and sign off on trades to have a roster set in place before any changes occur to MLB's rules.
Some teams, like those rebuilding, won't be impacted that much by this change. But for a club like the Padres, which needs to make some serious moves this offseason to contend for a World Series, it's going to be a bit hectic over the next month or so for A.J. Preller.
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