Padres predicted to cut ties with projected $11 million All-Star

Will the San Diego Padres end up losing some players in free agency?

That certainly is a realistic possibility. No team will be able to bring back every player on the roster ahead of the 2025 campaign, and the Padres will be no different. San Diego has a handful of players about to hit free agency, and FanSided's Zachary Rotman predicted that Martín Pérez will be playing elsewhere in 2025.

"While he pitched well in his two months with the Padres, how reasonable is it to expect that to continue? Pérez is 33 years old, allowed the highest home run rate of his career (4.2 percent), and does not miss bats," Rotman said.

"The Padres might bring him back as a cheap option, especially after Joe Musgrove's unfortunate injury, but they can, and should, aim higher. The Padres have plenty of high-end talent with guys like Dylan Cease, Michael King, and Yu Darvish, but they could use more reliability than what Perez, a pitcher who had an ERA well over 5.00 before the trade this season and pitched in relief late in 2023 due to struggles, can provide."

This isn't too shocking. Pérez is predicted to get $11 million on a one-year deal in free agency. This may be too expensive of a price at this point. He was steady with the Padres down the stretch, but another club may end up shelling out more money for him than the Padres are willing to spend.

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