Padres Urged to Trade $340 Million Superstar in Shocking Blockbuster Move

The San Diego Padres' offseason has been absolutely abysmal. They entered the offseason on a high after taking the eventual World Series champion Los Angeles Dodgers to the brink of elimination in the National League Divisional Series. Since, they've lost just about all their momentum and then some in a silent winter. Not only did the Padres wait until Jan. 24 to make their first major league acquisition — right-handed pitcher Ron Marinaccio in a trade with the Chicago White Sox — but the Friars are yet to make a big league signing, although reports have circulated Tuesday that the team is in agreement on a one-year deal with catcher Elias Diaz. Diaz, who finished the 2024 season with the Padres, would be returning on a $3.5 million, and would mark San Diego's first official major league signing of the offseason. More news: Surprise AL Team Named Best Fit for Mets Slugger Pete Alonso in Free Agency While the Padres have been quiet in free agency, they've had to say goodbye to multiple key free agents, namely All-Star outfielder Jurickson Profar, who signed a three-year, $42 million deal with the Atlanta Braves. Moreover, All-Star reliever Tanner Scott joined the rival Dodgers on a four-year, $72 million deal, and the Dodgers also signed Japanese phenom Roki Sasaki, despite a more lucrative offer on the table from San Diego. More news: Dodgers Could Trade $15M All-Star in Potential Blockbuster Move While all that has been going on, Padres late owner Peter Seidler's widow has filed a lawsuit for control of the team over her brothers-in-law. That's been yet another added layer in a brutal offseason for San Diego. Now, the Padres may very well be the fourth-best team in their own division, and need to make some moves to reassert themselves as an NL powerhouse. MLB Network's Harold Reynolds has just the idea. On Tuesday, Reynolds urged the Padres to trade away one of their best players in a move that would send shockwaves across MLB. "Manny (Machado), you can't move that contract. (Xander) Bogaerts, not moving that contract," Reynolds said. "There's one player that can change the whole direction of this organization and that's (Fernando) Tatis, and I'm putting him on the market to trade." Tatis, who signed a 14-year, $340 million contract with the Padres that will take him through the 2034 season, is still just 26 years old. The two-time All-Star and 2023 Platinum Glove Award winner was looking like the next face of the league in 2021, when he slashed .282/.364/.611 with 42 home runs, 97 runs batted in, and an OPS of .975 across 130 games. However, Tatis then had a tumultuous 2022 season that included a motorcycle accident and a suspension for testing positive for performance-enhancing drugs. He missed all of 2022 and the first 20 games of 2023. Tatis has been a great player over the last two seasons, finishing with an OPS of .770 in 2023 and an OPS of .833 in 2024. However, he's due a lot of money over the next decade, and, on a team with plenty of big names in the lineup, Reynolds thinks Tatis makes the most sense as a potential trade piece. "You know how many teams are gonna hop in at that number, at that young player to go get him," Reynolds said. "And now I keep my pitching, I'll get back something for Tatis, and we will keep this thing rolling." The Padres have taken calls on star pitchers Dylan Cease and Michael King, who are both entering their final year of team control. However, Reynolds urged San Diego to hold onto their pitching — the main reason they were able to make a run last season — and reinforce the rest of their roster with the money they'd be saving by moving Tatis. More news: Dodgers, Yankees, Mets, Red Sox Among Interested Teams in All-Star, Cy Young Free Agent Pitcher