Good Morning San Diego: Padres still have needs with Spring Training just weeks away; Ramon Laureano could exceed expectations

The San Diego Padres have needs, but to this point in the offseason, they have not been addressed. Thomas Conroy of Gaslamp Ball talks about the need for the Padres to address the first base position and includes a possible trade candidate in Nick Castellanos as well as a free agent candidate that San Diego fans are very familiar with in Luis Arraez. There has been some talk about the Padres possibly trading for a player like CJ Abrams from the Washington Nationals which would likely result in Jake Cronenworth moving back to first base. San Diego has options and there are other trade possibilities and free agents available for the Padres to address their needs, but with Spring Training less than two weeks away, they should address the vacancy sooner than later.

Padres News:

• Ramon Laureano was added to the San Diego roster at the 2025 trade deadline and a big reason he was added by the Padres is his $6.5 million club option for the 2026 season. With Laureano in the starting lineup, San Diego will not have to have a committee of players like Jason Heywayd, Connor Joe and Brandon Lockridge to handle one position on the roster. Cheri Bell of Gaslamp Ball reminds fans that Laureano should not be overlooked and expects him to have a solid year with a full season in San Diego. Jeff Sanders of the San Diego Union-Tribune also focuses on Laureano for his Padres roster review adding further insight as to what Padres fans can expect from the left fielder in 2026.
• The Padres and left-hander Marco Gonzales reached a minor league deal with an invitation to Spring Training. If he makes the roster, Gonzalez would make $1.5 million and could earn another $1 million in incentives.
• Keith Law of The Athletic listed catcher Ethan Salas as the No. 70 prospect on his top 100 list earlier in the week. He released his organizational rankings Thursday and the Padres farm system was 30^th in MLB.
• Late Monday it was reported the Padres had “checked in” on free agent pitcher Zac Gallen formerly of the Arizona Diamondbacks. Anthony Franco of MLB Trade Rumors reported that Jon Heyman said the Padres are longshots for Gallen.

Baseball News:

• The Houston Astros and San Francisco Giants agreed to a trade to send Kai-Wei Teng to Houston for minor league catcher Jancel Villarroel. The Astros also added former Padres reliever Tom Cosgrove on a minor league deal.
• The Los Angeles Angels and New York Yankees agreed to a trade that sent reliever Jayvien Sandridge to Los Angeles for cash considerations.
• It was announced Thursday that Ronald Acuna Jr., Maikel Garcia, Jackson Chourio and Wilyer Abreu were all added to the roster for the Venezuela World Baseball Classic team.