Why Former Padre Could Perfectly Fill This D-backs Need

The Arizona Diamondbacks should look in on this player.

Sep 23, 2025; San Diego, California, USA; San Diego Padres first baseman Ryan O'Hearn (32) hits a grand slam during the first inning against the Milwaukee Brewers at Petco Park. Mandatory Credit: David Frerker-Imagn Images | David Frerker-Imagn Images

The focus on the Arizona Diamondbacks of late has been on whether or not the team would trade superstar second baseman Ketel Marte. The other big news was the emergence of the Diamondbacks as a possible destination for star third baseman Alex Bregman.

But there is a possibility that neither of those things happen. And in the meantime the Diamondbacks still need to move forward to improve their roster. Clearly pitching, and at this juncture, bullpen help, is still the number one priority. But that does not preclude the need to keep adding to the offense as well.

Diamondbacks Need Upgrades at First Base and DH

The "conventional wisdom" has been that the D-backs are looking to add a right-handed bat to balance out a platoon at first base with the left-handed hitting Pavin Smith. The possibility of Paul Goldschmidt returning to the D-backs to fill such a role has been floated.

But a deeper dive into the projections and playing time as the roster is currently constructed reveals a need for an upgrade from the left side of the batter's box. It's important to keep in mind that roughly 70% of all starts against the D-backs will be made by right-handed starting pitchers, and once relievers are accounted for, more than 65% of all at-bats will come against righties.

That means roughly 850 plate appearances will be filled from left-hand batters at first base and DH.

Pavin Smith is expected to man first base, but likely in a strict platoon. He's projected to hit just .237/.334/.391, .725 OPS by Steamer , and ZiPS has an almost identical projection at .237.332/.392, .724 OPS.

When you move over to the DH slot, the majority of the left-handed DH plate appearances according to FanGraphs depth charts, are slated to be taken by Adrian Del Castillo. His projections are not good, coming in at .237/.308/.399, .717 OPS from Steamer and .225/.293/.381, .674 OPS.

Diamondbacks Open to Adding a Left-Handed Bat

In consideration of the above projections and roster construction, I asked General Manager Mike Hazen if the conventional wisdom might be off and if he's open to adding a left-handed bat to upgrade either the DH or first base slot.

"I wouldn't say I've committed to anything. I don't know who conventional wisdom is." said Hazen.

"I think when poised to the question of balancing out Pavin [Smith] and others, yes right-handed is some level of preferable, given that he's left-handed. We're in the market for offense, we would be open-minded to however it would come."

Ryan O'Hearn Could be a Good Fit

One player that could neatly fit the bill is 32-year-old Ryan O'Hearn. The left-handed hitter enjoyed a career year in 2025, batting .281/.366/.437, .803 OPS. That worked out to a 125 OPS+, well above average. It's been a solid three year run for O'Hearn, as he posted a 122 OPS+ in 2023, and 119 in 2024.

Thanks to a blistering 45 PA versus left-hand pitching for the Padres after a midseason trade this year, his splits actually worked out to .832 OPS vs. lefties and .795 vs. righties.

Such a reverse split is not to be expected going forward, however. His career splits prior to 2025 show a .555 OPS against lefties and .750 against righties from 2018-2024.

O'Hearn's projection for 2025 from Steamer is .266/.338/.424, .761 OPS. That's somewhat better than Smith, and a significant upgrade from Del Castillo.

O'Hearn played above-average defense at first base in 2025, registering +6 FRV from Statcast and +4 DRS from Baseball-Reference. He also plays corner outfield, albeit slightly below-average. He's been slotted at DH over 50 times each of the last two seasons as well.

FanGraphs' crowdsource contract estimates for O'Hearn come in at two years, $24 million, or $12 million average annual salary. If the D-backs were truly a potential suitor for Alex Bregman, they can certainly afford O'Hearn, who has similar projections to Bregman (.761 vs .788).

Ryan O'Hearn could be a significant upgrade for the Diamondbacks at either DH or first base in 2025. As the Diamondbacks search to fill roster holes and upgrade their offense along with their pitching staff, this is a player they should at least be kicking the tires on.