Major League Baseball’s annual Winter Meetings are underway in Dallas. Now that Juan Soto’s gargantuan contract has been solidified the market for free agent outfielders should get active in a hurry. Soto is a special case so his 15-year, $765 million “I am Steve Cohen, hear me roar” contract really has no impact on how other players are going to be paid.
Michael Conforto, on the other hand, could create a ripple effect. The Dodgers gave the 32-year-old outfielder a one-year, $17 million deal that seems like a reach for a guy who’s never driven in 100 runs in a season. If that’s the going rate for a good but not life-altering talent then … and we take no joy in admitting this … it might get extremely difficult for the Padres to hang on to Jurickson Profar.
It’s no secret that Profar is at his best in San Diego and the Padres are at their best with Profar. But, if Conforto got $17 million then Jurickson has a legitimate argument he’s worth at least that, which could very well make him too expensive for the the Friars, especially with big-spending teams like the Yankees and Red Sox in the market for a corner outfielder.
Padres general manager A.J. Preller, who is rarely caught without a backup plan, has assembled some interesting under-the-radar players that seem like low-risk, potentially high-reward plays (not unlike Profar was a year ago when he signed for one year and $1 million). The first guy on that list has been with the club for several years already but never played at Petco Park.
Tirso Ornelas was signed as a 16-year-old as part of the Padres 2016-17 international class. The Tijuana, Mexico native has been in the organization ever since, putting up good but not great numbers. In 2024, things may have finally clicked.
