MLB

Profar, Suarez Opt Out of Padres Contracts to Become Free Agents

Club also declines option on Myers for 2023

The World Series is over. Let the business of baseball's off-season commence.

Outfielder Jurickson Profar and reliever Robert Suarez both opted out of the final years of their contracts with the Padres. The club is also declining its option on 1B/OF Wil Myers. All three players will receive a $1 million buyout and become free agents.

Profar was going to make $7.5 million in the final year of his deal. The fan favorite likely outplayed that number with a solid year at the plate (.722 OPS, 15 home runs) and surprisingly effective defense as the Padres everyday left fielder.

Suarez was due $5 million but the 31-year-old will undoubtedly get a substantial raise. He missed a huge chunk of the season when he had knee surgery and hit the 60-day injured list but when he returned he was one of the most effective relievers in baseball, allowing just four earned runs with 34 strikeouts in 24.1 innings to end the regular season. His 101 MPH heat will draw plenty of suitors this winter.

It's no secret the Padres were going to cut ties with Myers. They've tried multiple times over the last couple of years to trade the 2016 All-Star who's battled injuries the last handful of seasons.

There is mutual interest between the team and all three players to reunite on new deals. Profar has a long relationship with Padres general manager AJ Preller, Suarez is the kind of high-velocity arm that's become immensely valuable in Major League Baseball, and Myers is just a guy you root for who has endeared himself to the San Diego community and the Padres clubhouse.

The only remaining question mark is pitcher Nick Martinez, who was arguably the MVP of San Diego's pitching staff in 2022. After spending four years in Japan, the Friars signed him to compete for a spot in the starting rotation, which is where he started the season after a strong Spring Training. As Blake Snell and Mike Clevinger got healthy, Martinez moved to long relief, then high-leverage late innings, even serving as the closer for a time, and did it all well. His 4-year deal is worth $6.5 million annually but Nick has has opt-outs after each season. So far he has not not announced if he plans on utilizing it or not.

As of now the Padres have nine free agents (Profar, Suarez, Myers, Clevinger, Josh Bell, Sean Manaea, Brandon Drury, Pierce Johnson, and Craig Stammen). Only the Mets and Dodgers have more. The Padres have a window to hang on to all of them. MLB has a 5-day window after the end of the World Series where teams have exclusive negotiating rights with their own free agents. On November 10 they're free to sign anywhere, just as San Diego is eligible to sign free agents from other teams.

And there are A LOT of big-name options out there. Yankees superstar Aaron Judge is a free agent, as are All-Star shortstops Xander Bogaerts, Trea Turner, and Carlos Correa, and former Cy Young Award winner Jacob deGrom opted out of his Mets deal.

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