The San Diego Padres’ battery is in great need of a proverbial recharge this offseason.
Padres anticipating several likely moves this offseason
The Padres’ two most glaring holes are at catcher and at the end of their rotation. Per MLB.com’s AJ Cassavell, San Diego is entertaining moving one of their elite relievers into their starting rotation, but is otherwise leading with a “we’ll see” approach in the open market, as their general manager A.J. Preller stated at winter meetings:
“It’s been a lot of conversation,” Preller said. “A lot of getting a sense of where the market is, free agency-wise and trade. We definitely have a lot of things that we’re able to do and could line up on. We’ll see where it all takes us in the next couple weeks.”
Padres could promote Adrian Morejon to their rotation
The bullpen talent in question is Adrian Morejon. The 25-year-old rising star boasted a 2.83 ERA last season — his first sub-3.00 ERA of his career. Morejon added precision to his efficiency with 71 strikeouts at a 26.1 percent strikeout rate, which placed him in the 73rd percentile in 2024.
The Cuban talent has the stuff to dominate on the mound, as seen in his 97.2 mph fastball, which ranked in the 92nd percentile. His ability to force hitters into ground balls 51.4 percent of the time they face off against him at the plate (86th percentile) is remarkable toward his potential to start. He could rise up next season and prove himself to be a quality fourth or fifth option in San Diego.
Padres in need of stout starting catcher for next season
As for their other battery slot, the Padres lost backup catcher Kyle Higashioka to the Texas Rangers earlier this month. They are held down by last season’s starter Luis Campusano. He underwhelmed at the plate with a .227 batting average and 41 strikeouts to 63 hits, but did sport a strong .996 fielding percentage at catcher last time out.
Notable free agents that could step into the Padres’ starting role behind the plate include Yasmani Grandal, Yan Gomes, and Elias Diaz. San Diego could also explore a trade for a younger, top-shelf talent.
The Padres came within a hair of knocking off the reigning World Series champion Los Angeles Dodgers in the 2024 NLDS. If they want to triumph over them and the rest of the stiff competition in the National League, both of those positions will need to be embattled.
