The first offseason for San Diego Padres owners Kwanza Jones and José E. Feliciano comes with a date worth circling. The collective bargaining agreement expires at 11:59 p.m. ET on Dec. 1. If MLB institutes a lockout like the last one, unfinished major-league signings and trades would have to wait.
That makes the first completed move more revealing than the number of names attached to San Diego at the GM Meetings in Las Vegas. Jones and Feliciano took over in August and made winning a World Series their goal. Their first winter will test how quickly they can address a roster need. The calendar gives them just over three weeks from Vegas to Dec. 1.
Two Padres Deals Show What the Deadline Can Change
The last lockout gives Padres fans a useful comparison. On Dec. 1, 2021, the Padres completed deals with relievers Robert Suarez and Luis García. Those pitchers were already signed when MLB locked out the players early the next day.
Nick Martinez was on a different timetable. The Padres and Martinez had a reported agreement, but the deal remained unfinished when the lockout began. San Diego officially announced his contract on March 17, 2022. The two sides had ended the 99-day lockout on March 10. Martinez signed one week after transactions resumed, while the Padres were already preparing for a season with shortened spring training. His case shows how a deal under discussion in December can remain a roster question in March.
MLB’s account of the 2021 lockout explains that transactions involving players on 40-man rosters and other union members stopped, while minor-league transactions could continue. The Dec. 1 expiration is confirmed. Whether MLB imposes a lockout, and how long any freeze would last, remain open questions.
A Starting Pitcher Is the Clearest Early Measure
San Diego has a reason to prioritize one major-league starter before that date. Michael King and Nick Pivetta are free agents, and the club also has to replace innings from the rentals it acquired in August. A completed signing or trade would give A.J. Preller a rotation spot he can plan around while the rest of the market takes shape.
There are chances to learn more before Dec. 1. Qualifying-offer decisions come Nov. 17, and the Nov. 20 non-tender deadline can add players to the free-agent pool. Both dates can change the alternatives available to Preller as he weighs early deals.
Fans can judge an early move by the role it fills, the innings the player can reasonably cover, and the resources left for another addition. A quiet GM Meetings week would reveal little about the owners’ spending plans. If Dec. 1 arrives without a starter and MLB freezes transactions, the immediate consequence is clearer. San Diego would enter the pause with the most important job of its offseason still open.
What an MLB Lockout Would Mean for the Padres’ New Owners