Padres have grand plans for 2024 and beyond as playoff push heats up

Yu Darvish is working out now, and the hope is Darvish — one of the best people in the game — can return to the red-hot Padres in September.

One person close to him guessed a return this year is “50-50” and another thought it’s better than that.

The reason for his absence is an undisclosed family matter.

The Padres love Blake Snell and could play for him this winter. He’s almost sure to decline his $30M player option (one rival GM opined it would take a “catastrophic injury” for him to exercise it).

2024 MLB predictions, odds: Padres’ Jackson Merrill will overtake Paul Skenes for NL Rookie of the Year

The Padres and Dodgers were among a half-dozen teams to inquire about Snell pre-deadline , but both understood the chances the NL West rival Giants would send him there were just about nil since San Fran already paid the $17M signing bonus, and he was just back in form. …

Padres GM A.J. Preller has the golden touch lately, acquiring Dylan Cease, Luis Arraez, Donovan Solano, David Peralta, Jason Adam, Tanner Scott, Bryan Hoeing and Martin Perez since spring. All are thriving. Perez, practically a giveaway from Pittsburgh, shut down the reeling Pirates on Wednesday and has a 1.96 ERA over three starts. …

As great as Juan Soto has been , the Padres got more than half their rotation for Soto and Trent Grisham (who the Yankees like as a backup center fielder and team-first guy) — including star Michael King as well as Jhony Brito, Randy Vazquez and Drew Thorpe, who they sent to the White Sox for Cease, plus starting catcher Kyle Higashioka.

Billy Bean, former MLB outfielder and inclusion trailblazer, dead at 60

Padres All-Star outfielder Jurickson Profar for $1M is the low-cost signing of winter. And surprise CF Jackson Merrill should win Rookie of the Year .

Grady Sizemore is beloved by White Sox players, but they intend to go outside for a manager. ChiSox owner Jerry Reinsdorf loves A.J. Pierzynski, and though Pierzynski is super smart, he’s a polarizing figure (and they prefer experience).

Fired manager Pedro Grifol and GM Chris Getz were friendly back to their Royals days, but threatening the 1962 Mets loss record tends to create a disconnect. Grifol’s second-half speech, in which he implored the team not to break the Mets’ record, didn’t get immediate results — they lost 17 more in a row, making it 21 straight.

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Skip Schumaker, who’s a free agent, would be optimal. But he should have options.

Royals great Salvy Perez, who has a year to go at $22M, will seek an extension, his fourth. The Royals want to keep Perez, a Hall of Famer, in my opinion…

The Orioles holds some hope star starting pitcher Grayson Rodriguez will be back in late September. … Max Scherzer is hoping to return this season. … Justin Verlander’s inability to reach 140 innings means the Mets save half his $35M vesting option. (Small) help for a possible Soto run?

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