A Jersey Number Trade Has Cleared the Way for the Padres’ New Korean Star

Korean superstar Sung-Mon Song will wear No. 24 for the upcoming season after infielder Will Wagner switched his number from 24 to seven.

Seven was last worn in San Diego by Jose Iglesias in 2025, when he produced a 73 wRC+. The Padres giving up his number suggests a reunion with last season’s utility man is likely off the table.

Wagner will look to have more success than Iglesias with No. 7 as he fights to make the MLB roster this season. It was a rough 2025 campaign for Wagner, who split time between Triple-A and the majors with the Blue Jays and Padres. In 176 minor league at-bats, he hit five home runs with a 98 wRC+. In 149 MLB at-bats, he failed to homer and posted a 78 wRC+.

Wagner’s opportunity last season stemmed from his long, successful MiLB career prior to 2025. Despite not reaching the majors until age 26, he enjoyed sustained success in the minors with Houston and Toronto’s farm systems.

Despite a mediocre 2025 season, Wagner finished each of his first four minor league campaigns from 2021-24 with a wRC+ above 100. Notably, he posted a wRC+ above 100 at every level he played during that stretch. Each promotion came with success until his first extended MLB stint in 2025.

Spring training could represent one of Wagner’s final chances to earn another opportunity in the big leagues.

Song, meanwhile, arrives with higher expectations. He came over from South Korea this offseason on a four year $15 million deal. His No. 24 - worn by several players in recent seasons - was most notably associated with Josh Bell who wore it in 2022 after the Juan Soto trade with Washington.

Similar to Wagner with No. 7, Song will look to erase the recent struggles tied to his number. In 210 plate appearances after the 2022 trade deadline, Bell slashed .192/.316/.271.

Song is coming off the best two years of his career in the Korean Baseball Organization. After recording just one season with an OPS above .700 across his first seven professional seasons, he broke out in 2024. Over that two-year span, he totaled 1,248 plate appearances, hit 45 home runs, drove in 194 runs, and posted an OPS above .900 in both seasons.

With the Padres, Song brings an improving offensive profile and defensive versatility to the bench. His projected at-bats should come as the first option off the bench in injury situations, pinch-hitting opportunities against right-handed arms, and occasional starts at third base when Manny Machado serves as the designated hitter.