There’s a difference between buying stars and building margins, and the Padres finally look like a team that understands the latter. San Diego still pays headline money at the very top of the roster, but the quiet revolution is what lives underneath — useful, controllable pieces gathered at the deadlines that turn a 26-man into a 90-win machine. Add up the projected 2026 arbitration figures for several core contributors and you get just $24.4 million. That’s the going rate for a single mid-rotation free agent… or for almost the entire Padres’ supporting cast.
This is the payoff to AJ Preller’s recent deadline aggression.