San Diego Padres Actively Shopping Former Stud Closer on Trade Market

As the San Diego Padres aim to lower their payroll in 2024, they are reportedly looking to move on from a high-priced reliever.

Jeff Passan of ESPN reports that the team is looking to move on from Scott Barlow this offseason.

Per Passan's piece on ESPN:

San Diego is actively trying to move Barlow ahead of the Friday non-tender deadline. While he was very good in 25 appearances for the Padres after his trade from Kansas City, Barlow's stuff has regressed, and the estimated $6 million he is owed in arbitration could be prohibitive.

The Padres went all-in the last few seasons, acquiring Blake Snell and Josh Hader and Yu Darvish and Juan Soto. They also signed Xander Bogaerts and made big plays for Aaron Judge and Trea Turner. There were other noteworthy moves too, like signing Jake Cronenworth to a new a deal and bringing in Nelson Cruz and Matt Carpenter before 2023.

Unfortunately, it hasn't worked out. The Padres did make the NLCS in 2022 but missed the playoffs entirely in 2023, leading to a potential shift in philosophy. In addition to Barlow, the team is reportedly looking at trading Soto.

The Barlow situation is interesting. It's hard to imagine him being non-tendered entirely. Perhaps they could tender him a contract and still try to trade him over the course of the offseason.

Barlow went just 2-6 last season with a 4.37 ERA but lifetime, he's 20-18 with a 3.36. He's played parts of six seasons in the big leagues with the Royals and Padres. He had 24 saves in 2022 and 13 in 2023.