Padres' Offseason Needs Begin and End With Search for More Power

In hindsight, San Diego Padres president of baseball operations A.J. Preller played the 2025 trade deadline just about as well as he could have. While the Padres still came up short in the Wild Card Round of the postseason, he was able to address specific positions to a degree where those become less of a focal point this winter. 

The addition of Freddy Fermin offers some stability behind the plate in the way that a combination Elías Díaz & Martín Maldonado lacked, given the latter two being toward the end of their respective careers and playing on one-year contracts. Fermin, however, is under team control through 2029 while the organization waits for top prospect Ethan Salas to make his way up through the ranks. 

It's a somewhat similar situation, albeit on a shorter timeline, in left field. It seems extremely likely that the Padres will exercise their club option on Ramón Laureano that keeps him entrenched in that spot through the end of 2026. Despite long-term questions around the position, they've at least got it settled in a way that they didn't to start '25. Gavin Sheets' emergence also gives them some flexibility as a left-handed outfield bat or designated hitter option.

There are, of course, some nuances to be worked through on the pitching side, but it's at least a pretty stable lineup heading into the winter. And with (optimistically) some financial freedom to at least move a little bit freely in the way that they didn't over the last couple of offseasons, it stands to reason that Preller will have some resources to make a key addition or two to a roster that was visibly at least a hitter or two short in their series against the Chicago Cubs. Given how that (and much of the middle of the season) transpired, there's no question as to the type of player Preller needs to be pursuing when the time comes. 

The Padres need power. As the season progressed, a couple of things became clear regarding that truth; the first was that the team simply did not have enough of it. It was a top-heavy group from the jump. The second is that players that were previously thought of as being able to supply it (Jake Cronenworth) have been unable to do so in any meaningful way. Even the likes of Fernando Tatis Jr. or Jackson Merrill are providing power on a more inconsistent basis than was perhaps previously thought. 

Regardless of cause, the absence of power was a massive detriment to this year's Padres roster. They ranked 28th in the league in total home runs (152) & ISO (.138), while sitting 25th in fly ball rate (36.4 percent). As such, the attention must be focused there. But, it's also not as simple as "acquire a power bat" given how much of the roster is occupied at this point.

First base, however, represents an area where this type of upgrade could occur. Pete Alonso is likely off the menu given the cost. Could old friend Josh Naylor represent a suitable alternative? He's not walking in the door with Alonso-esque pop, but he's hit at least 20 homers three times in the past four seasons with a .178 ISO for his career, and he's not likely to be too prohibitive a cost in terms of dollars or length. What about someone like Willson Contreras, who carries guarantees through only 2027? We'll surely explore specific options as the winter wears on, but it's important to acknowledge that there will at least be options out there for San Diego. 

The possibility also exists that the team enhances their approach at the plate in order to tap into more power from players already on the roster. It shouldn't preclude them from making at least one notable outside addition, but given the need, it would be a surprise if that wasn't part of offseason programming in some form or fashion.

It's not the only need the Padres have on the offensive side of the ball. They need to get deeper. They need to get more right-handed (which has the potential for a two birds, one stone kind of situation). Plenty needs to be sorted on both ends of the mound. But the power component is going to be the most essential of the needs that do exist. The good news is that ownership has acknowledged a need to improve and the team has a top executive willing to be aggressive in pursuit of such improvement. It'll be a fascinating element of the impending offseason to keep an eye on.