The San Diego Padres still have to figure out who will be playing first base for the club on Opening Day with former Padre Luis Arraez still on the free agency market.
Both Arraez and the Padres had mutual interest in a reunion when the season ended, but with Spring Training coming up next month and Arraez still a free agent, it seems more likely that he won’t be back for the 2026 season.
Internally, the Padres could move infielder Jake Cronenworth back to first base, which is where he played before Arraez landed with the team. Outfielder/designated hitter Gavin Sheets is another option, who has played over 100 games at the position in his career and is actually a much better defender there than in the outfield.
If the team isn’t comfortable with those options or would rather keep Cronenworth at second base and Sheets as a platoon outfielder/DH, San Diego could pursue free agent first baseman Rhys Hoskins.
Hoskins, who will be entering his age-33 season, was a star with the Philadelphia Phillies when he broke into the league in 2017 and finished fourth in National League Rookie of the Year voting.
He hovered at or above an .800 OPS every season until he suffered a horrific knee injury in Spring Training before the 2023 season. Hoskins missed the entire season and signed with the Milwaukee Brewers in 2024, where he was able to hit for power (26 home runs, 82 RBI) but finished the year with a .722 OPS across 131 games.
Last season, he raised his OPS to nearly .750 but missed significant time with a thumb injury. Milwaukee declined his mutual option, and he is now a free agent.
Hoskins would be a nice fit for the Padres on a cheap “prove it” deal.
“What might Hoskins, who is entering his age-33 campaign, do in a full season if he can stay healthy? Despite the injuries, he remains a slugger who hits the ball hard and takes his walks, though his strikeout rate has always been high,” MLB.com’s Manny Randhawa wrote Saturday.
“Hoskins’ 46.4% hard-hit rate last year was a career best, his 39.7% sweet spot rate tied a career high (also 2017), and his 11.6% walk rate was his best since '19 (excluding the pandemic-shortened ’20 season), when he led the NL in walks (116). His chase rate was also down significantly from recent seasons -- at 19.9%, it was his lowest since ’18.”
If Hoskins can stay healthy, he’s a prime bounce-back candidate and would be a nice fit in San Diego at a low price.