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SAN DIEGO -- It was great seeing some of you at Petco Park for this weekend¡¯s FanFest. Baseball season is just about here.

Here are four takeaways from FanFest¡¯s media availabilities:

1. The Padres will be making moves (and maybe soon)
Speaking during the team's leadership forum at Gallagher Square, general manager A.J. Preller indicated as much.

"We know we have a championship-type roster," Preller said. "We know we have some work in front of us. We¡¯ve got to add a bat or two. We¡¯ve got to add an arm or two. ¡­ We¡¯ll always keep looking to add to the roster."

This isn't anything new. A year ago, Jurickson Profar, Luis Arraez, Dylan Cease and Donovan Solano were not on the Padres¡¯ roster at the start of February. All four ended up being key contributors in a 93-win campaign.

Preller has let his roster shuffling linger into Spring Training before. Sure, the Padres have made only small-scale transactions this winter. But Preller clearly isn't blind to the team's needs -- a bat or two and an arm or two.

"Deals come at different points in time," Preller said. "Last season we were able to add a Dylan Cease at the end of Spring Training, Luis Arraez a month into the year. Donovan Solano at this point in time wasn't signed. So again, I think it¡¯s all about getting the right players and building and making the right moves."

2. The roster has some positional clarity
Xander Bogaerts is at shortstop. Jake Cronenworth is at second base. Adrian Morejon is in the bullpen.

Manager Mike Shildt clarified all three of those items during his media availability on Saturday. He also noted that the team still planned to stretch one or two of its relievers into starting roles, though he wouldn't divulge whom. Stephen Kolek and Bryan Hoeing are the likeliest candidates (and both were mentioned by Preller by name at the Winter Meetings). At least as of the weekend, neither had been informed of the specific plan.

"For me, it's just about building up to be ready for the season," Hoeing said during the team's community tour on Friday afternoon. "Whether that's a starting role or a relieving role, I'll be ready for it."

In any case, the Padres¡¯ infield appears set. Their specific needs on offense also appear set. A bat or two -- but where, specifically? Well, the Padres need a first base/DH type and a left fielder.

Meanwhile, with Morejon in the bullpen, that puts a more urgent need on finding someone to slot into the back end of the rotation. An arm or two? At minimum, one has to be a starter.

3. Fernando Tatis Jr. expects big things
Joe Musgrove, of course, is expected to miss the entire 2025 season following Tommy John surgery. But a common theme from Saturday's FanFest was the Padres' otherwise clean bill of health.

Manny Machado's surgically repaired right elbow is "back to normal." Arraez has healed following left thumb surgery. The stress reaction in Fernando Tatis Jr.'s right leg has subsided.

Tatis was All-Star-caliber while playing much of the first half of the 2024 season on one leg. If he's fully healthy, what could that mean for him in 2025?

"With all due respect to all the big league talent that is out there -- I definitely acknowledge them -- but when I'm 100 percent and my head is in the right spot, I feel like I'm second to no one on the baseball field," Tatis said. "... Looking forward to being the best version of myself out there."

4. Optimism
Quite clearly, the external doom and gloom surrounding the Padres' offseason has not crept into the home clubhouse at Petco Park.

¡°We have such a good team, and the majority of the guys who were on the team last year are coming back,¡± Cronenworth said. ¡°It¡¯s a great group of guys. ¡­ I think we¡¯re more ready than we ever have been going into spring.¡±

Maybe from a player-preparedness standpoint. But the roster isn¡¯t quite Opening Day-ready. Preller himself seemed to acknowledge that much. Still ¡­

¡°We feel good about our team, the guys that are coming back,¡± Machado said. ¡°At the end of the day, I know A.J. is going to go out there, and he¡¯s going to put a very productive team out there and help us win. I¡¯ve trusted him through this whole process. ¡­ We were a few games away from winning it all and getting to where we wanted to get to. We fell short. But I think we have the talent, we have the group, and we have everything to make that possible.¡±

To be clear, Machado was one of a handful of Padres who expressed disappointment in the team¡¯s inability to retain former teammates Ha-Seong Kim, Kyle Higashioka and Profar. He also added: ¡°Are we disappointed we haven¡¯t made any moves? Yeah. ¡­ But we can¡¯t control that.¡±

The Padres aren¡¯t backing down. The vibes in their clubhouse remain high as the 2025 season dawns. For all the external focus on who they don¡¯t have -- namely Roki Sasaki, Profar, Kim, etc. -- they seemed to want to make this much clear:

¡°What we have,¡± Shildt said, ¡°is pretty darn good.¡±