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Juan Soto isn’t the only member of the San Diego Padres who could be traded this winter.
Veteran infielder Jake Cronenworth is also a trade candidate for the Padres, according to The Athletic’s Dennis Lin. His seven-year $80 million extension begins in 2024 and he has an eight-team no-trade clause that began this offseason, Lin added.
The Padres remain engaged with the New York Yankees on a trade involving Soto and the two sides “are working to finalize” a deal, MLB Network’s Jon Heyman reported Wednesday.
It’s no surprise that Cronenworth could also be moved this winter as the Padres look to cut payroll. Kevin Acee of the San Diego Union-Tribune reported in September that the club is expected to reduce player payroll by 20 percent to around $200 million in 2024.
However, Cronenworth could be difficult to move. The Athletic’s Jim Bowden noted last month that the first baseman’s contract is “untradeable” following a disappointing 2023 campaign.
Cronenworth’s numbers were down across the board last year as he slashed .229/.312/.378 with just 10 home runs and 48 RBI, in addition to posting six stolen bases, in his fourth big league season.
“Yeah, it sucks that I’m not the player I have been the last three years, but at the same time, my process, the time I put in the cage, the time I put in on ground balls, mentally—everything else is the same,” Cronenworth told reporters of his struggles in July.
Cronenworth burst onto the scene during the pandemic-shortened 2020 campaign and finished second in National League Rookie of the Year voting after hitting .285/.354/.477 with four home runs, 20 RBI and three stolen bases in 54 games.
The 29-year-old followed that up with All-Star selections in 2021 and 2022, posting 38 home runs and 159 RBI in 310 games in that span, but he was never able to find his form at the plate in 2023.
While Cronenworth would likely benefit from a change of scenery, it’s unclear which teams might be interested in acquiring him this offseason. It’s also uncertain what San Diego’s asking price would be in any deal.
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