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Asked if a trade was possibility, Preller declined to rule it out, adding that, “we’ve never been a group that says no to anything.” Soto could command a salary in excess of $30 million in his final year of arbitration next season. An extension for the soon-to-be 25-year-old would likely set records.

It looked like that would be the case, based on chairman Peter Seidler’s statement Monday, but Preller made it more official today. Reports have suggested that the Preller-Melvin relationship is strained, but there wasn’t really any chance of the Padres moving on from Preller, and they surely figure they wouldn’t be able to do better than Melvin if they made a managerial switch.

The procedure was performed by Dr. Neal ElAttrache in Los Angeles. Machado is expected to be sidelined for 4-to-6 months while recovering from the operation. That means it’s likely that he’ll miss part — if not all — of spring training, but should be ready to go fairly early during the 2024 regular season.

“I have a pretty good gauge and a monitor on my body,” explained Hill, who will turn 44 years old next March. “And I think half a season is much more palatable than a full season.” Hill was serviceable for a good portion of the 2023 season, but he posted a brutal 8.23 ERA in 10 appearances (five starts, and five relief appearances) after being traded to the Padres at the deadline. Hill explained that he would like to watch his son play Little League next year, so there’s a personal element to his thinking, but it also makes sense to wait things out and see which teams might have a need. It likely won’t cost more than a minor league deal. As it stands now, Hill is sitting on a 90 wins and a 4.01 career ERA.

There’s been speculation that the relationship between president of baseball operations A.J. Preller and manager Bob Melvin is pretty icy, but it doesn’t sound like Seidler is going to move on from either. Melvin would certainly be in demand if let go, and reports have linked him to the Giants.

Profar led off the top half of the 11th inning with an RBI single off of Declan Cronin to put the Padres on top 2-1. That would be the extent of their offense in the game, but was just enough for the Padres to eke out a one-run victory. The versatile 30-year-old finished the afternoon 2-for-5. He concludes a disappointing 2023 campaign hitting .242/.321/.368 with nine homers, 46 RBI and just one stolen base in 521 plate appearances between the Rockies and Padres.

The 43-year-old southpaw came on with the two sides embattled in a scoreless tie in the 10th inning. He allowed a run-scoring single to Zach Remillard to begin the 10th, but escaped the inning without any further trouble. He then returned for the 11th after the Padres took the lead in the top half of the frame — working a scoreless inning with a pair of strikeouts to close out the victory. Hill finishes the season with an 8-14 record, 5.41 ERA, 1.52 WHIP and a 129/58 K/BB ratio over 146 1/3 innings in 32 appearances (27 starts).

Avila took the hill instead of Blake Snell on Sunday with the Padres no longer in the mix for the postseason. The 26-year-old right-hander was terrific, allowing just three hits — all singles — in the game and failing to walk a batter. He generated 11 swings and misses on 81 pitches on the afternoon — eight of them on his changeup alone — while posting a CSW of 26 percent. He finishes the year with a 2-2 record, 3.22 ERA, 1.35 WHIP and a 54/25 K/BB ratio over 50 1/3 innings in 14 appearances (six starts).

With the Padres officially out of the playoff picture, the Padres decided to give their star third baseman the final game of the season off. Machado is expected to undergo off-season surgery to address a nagging elbow injury but should be ready for DH duties by the start of next season. Eguy Rosario will man the hot corner, with Juan Soto filling in as the Padres designated hitter on Sunday.

Kim not only snapped a 0-17 skid, but he also swiped third base twice and collected his 23rd double of the season. Kim missed time earlier this month with an abdominal issue, which could have been the reason for the late-season skid. All in all, the 27-year-old had a breakout campaign, hitting .262/.354/.401 with 17 homers, 38 stolen bases, and 84 runs scored over 621 plate appearances.