With O'Hearn gone, who commands first base? Glaser dissects Sheets, Cronenworth, and unexpected free agent power plays.
San Diego Padres fans were surely hoping that Ryan O'Hearn could come back to San Diego. He was acquired in a trade deadline move with the Baltimore Orioles, but he then signed a two-year, $29 million deal with the Pittsburgh Pirates.
Now, the Padres have a hole at first base, although there are options with the roster at the moment.
Jake Cronenworth can slide over and play first base, but he has been a popular name in trade rumblings.
Gavin Sheets is another option, and even catcher Luis Campusano could play first, although that seems like the least likely outcome for the time being.
Kyle Glaser and Marty Caswell discussed the first base position on an episode of "Friar Territory," and Glaser gave some different options.
"Right now, it's Gavin Sheets, and even though he struggled at times at first base last year, he can play the position," Glaser said.
Caswell said it "could still be Jake Cronenworth" if he isn't moved.
"It wouldn't surprise me if Cronenworth is back with the Padres and he is your first baseman," Caswell added.
"The optimal outcome is they bring in another first baseman who can really hump," Glaser added.
Glaser added that with the current roster, the best idea would be Sheets at first and Luis Campusano at designated hitter, which would allow the young catcher to get everyday at bats.
Sheets was a huge surprise last season, hitting .252 with 19 home runs and 71 RBIs for the Padres after signing a cheap deal.
He played in 145 regular season games and was a steady option, so having him at first base is not the worst-case scenario.
There are some free agent options on the market, including players such as Carlos Santana, Nathaniel Lowe, Paul Goldschmidt, Rhys Hoskins and even a reunion with Luis Arraez, although that wouldn't solve the team's power issues.
Kazuma Okamoto is another name, and he played in Japan and was posted. Although he is a third baseman primarily, he could slot over to first base and give the Padres offense a nice boost.
At the end of the day, nobody knows what the Padres will do, who they will target, or what the roster will even look like in the next week.
But, the best option might be to explore the free agent market more and try to bring in a power-hitting first baseman for the Padres.