With A.J. Preller, the Padres’ unrelenting head of baseball operations, virtually everyone is in play at all times. Almost nothing can be ruled out, though that does not mean Preller operates without parameters.
Three years ago, while he was still rebuilding a last-place team, the general manager signed free-agent first baseman Eric Hosmer to a then franchise-record contract. On Sunday, Preller — who already had an All-Star second baseman in Jake Cronenworth — demonstrated trademark aggressiveness by agreeing to a trade for All-Star second baseman-outfielder Adam Frazier.
Amid the excitement of Preller’s latest acquisition, one detail largely escaped attention: As part of the trade, which is pending medical reviews, the Padres will receive about $1.4 million from the Pittsburgh Pirates. For San Diego, that might not end up being an insignificant sum. And it could help explain why Preller continues to discuss a seemingly endless array of scenarios — including potential trades involving Hosmer.
The Padres, thanks to their level of activity over the past year, find themselves in uncharted financial territory. According to major-league sources, San Diego is on pace to finish the 2021 season above Major League Baseball’s competitive balance tax threshold of $210 million. While CBT figures are not exact — they include salary escalators, earned bonuses and other numbers not fully known until the end of each season — the league keeps estimates and shares those numbers with clubs.
