The San Diego Padres' offseason strategy came back into play on Friday after former starting pitcher Michael Wacha signed a two-way contract with the Kansas City Royals. It was for two-years and $32 million, with an opt-out after the 2024 season.
This was the same contract that the Padres' decided to decline on Wacha earlier in the offseason. Their questionable decision-making has made them look pretty bad of late.
The front office has decided that they need to shed salary this offseason after multiple seasons in a row that saw them go all-in. It backfired on the team, and now they are living with the consequences of their decisions.
San Diego has let Wacha, Seth Lugo and Nick Martinez all walk out of town on team-friendly contracts without putting up a fight. It was reported that they tried to bring Lugo back, but wouldn't pay what was needed to retain him.
Starter Blake Snell is also expected to leave this winter, as well. This means that the majority of their 2023 starting rotation will be gone by the time next season starts.
This is a bad look for an organization that was supposed to be competing for World Series titles a year ago, and now they weren't able to afford to retain Wacha. The salary issues forced them to reluctantly trade away star outfielder Juan Soto to the New York Yankees in exchange for young pitching help.
The front office in San Diego has their work cut out for them this offseason, if anything to just keep up with what the rest of the NL West has been doing. It won't be easy, but the Padres always find a way to pull a rabbit out of the hat in cases like this.
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