MLB insider raises concerns over Padres’ offseason strategy amid lawsuit

It's been a difficult offseason for the San Diego Padres and their fans given the uncertainty surrounding the club. The Friars were one of the best teams in the Majors last season. However, the ongoing situation involving the club's ownership and openness to shed salary has left some feeling pessimistic about the team's direction.

There has been turmoil behind the scenes from an ownership perspective. Sheel Seidler, widow of Padres late-owner Peter Seidler, has sued Peter's brothers, Matthew and Robert; she seeks to take ownership of the club instead of one of their other brothers, John Seidler.

While all of this going on, the front office is dealing with the roster ahead of an important 2025 campaign. The Padres have been linked in trade rumors all offseason, with players such as Luis Arraez and Dylan Cease being at the forefront of the speculation.

All of this has left not only fans but MLB insider Ken Rosenthal concerned about the state of the team and their offseason so far.

"I don't know exactly what they're doing and I'm not sure they know exactly because remember, all of their offseason maneuvering is taking place against the backdrop of the lawsuit that is going on between the late owner Peter Siedler's widow and his brothers for control of the team," Rosenthal said on the latest episode of "Foul Territory."

Even though the Padres still have a strong roster on paper, there has been speculation that the team could be looking to lower the payroll all offseason. Aside from Dylan Cease and Luis Arraez, names such as Robert Suarez, Yu Darvish, and even Fernando Tatis Jr. have been thrown out in trade rumors amid the uncertainty.

"Where they are financially, that's not clear. Payroll is up because of internal raises for the most part. They haven't done anything really of consequence except for sign catcher Elias Diaz. It's going to be really interesting to see what they do in the next few weeks and leading up to Opening Day because that will tell us where they are," Rosenthal continued.

San Diego Padres star Manny Machado spoke about the team's lack of moves so far this offseason

It's not only Ken Rosenthal who has questions about the Frairs' offseason so far, but their own superstar Manny Machado. The six-time All-Star spoke to the media during the team's Fan Fest, expressing his concern about the team's stagnant approach to the offseason.

“Are we disappointed we haven’t made any moves? Yeah, as a team, we do kind of look up there, and you’re a little disappointed that we let some of the guys that were core group here go elsewhere," Machado said of the Padres' offseason.

It will be interesting to see if San Diego opts to continue moving on from players or if they will enter the new season with their current roster intact. Even if they don't add anyone else, this current squad will still be a threat in the National League.