The Padres' infield needs reinforcements. Here are some potential free agent targets and strategic lineup shifts to solidify their infield this offseason.
The San Diego Padres' biggest addition of the offseason thus far has been the signing of Korean infielder Sung-Mun Song out of the KBO League. Song signed on a four-year, $15 million deal, making it likely that he isn’t the quick plug-in fix that the Padres need in their infield. Instead, Song will likely serve as a utility player to start his tenure in the MLB.
Though the signing could pay off big time for San Diego, it doesn’t sufficiently address their infield needs in 2026. In fact, the Padres' infield was tabbed as the biggest hole that San Diego is faced with fixing this offseason by Joel Reuter of Bleacher Report.
As of now, the Padres have Manny Machado at third base, Xander Bogaerts at shortstop, and Jake Cronenworth at either second or first base. This leaves whichever position Cronenworth isn’t at a big hole for San Diego.
Cronenworth played 118 games at second for the Padres last season and 13 at first. Luis Arraez manned first base in 2025, causing such a stark difference in Cronenworth’s positional appearances. With Arraez now a free agent, Cronenworth’s 258 career games at first make the Padres more flexible in how they choose to buff their infield.
If first-year Padres manager Craig Stammen opts to keep Cronenworth at second and pursue first base talent, there are a few free agent options that could plug the hole in Petco Park. Paul Goldschmidt could be a cheap option for San Diego while still providing his positive bat. Nathaniel Lowe, Josh Bell, and Rhys Hoskins could also be other names general manager A.J. Preller should pursue to hold down the first base position.
In the case that Preller and Stammen aren’t in love with any of the available first base options and choose to use Cronenworth at first, there are a few valuable second base free agents as well. Ramon Urias, Dylan Moore, and Luis Rengifo are just three names that could be good targets for San Diego, given its limited financial flexibility this offseason.
The Padres aren’t in an ideal situation, given their areas of need, none of which is more important than filling out the infield. Under their current financial circumstances, Preller will have to work his magic once again this offseason if San Diego hopes to improve on its 90-win 2025 campaign.