Inside The Padres

Padres Already Trying to Make Trade to Upgrade Key Position

Nelson Espinal|
Apr 8, 2025; West Sacramento, California, USA; San Diego Padres outfielder Jason Heyward (22) breaks his bat during the sixth inning of the game against the Athletics at Sutter Health Park. Mandatory Credit: Ed Szczepanski-Imagn Images
Apr 8, 2025; West Sacramento, California, USA; San Diego Padres outfielder Jason Heyward (22) breaks his bat during the sixth inning of the game against the Athletics at Sutter Health Park. Mandatory Credit: Ed Szczepanski-Imagn Images | Ed Szczepanski-Imagn Images

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San Diego Padres

The San Diego Padres are already looking to upgrade a position of weakness on their roster, which has yielded underwhelming offensive production so far.

The Padres have gotten very little from their left field platoon, with Jason Heyward struggling to get his bat going and Brandon Lockridge being more of a defensive piece on the roster.

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To make matters worse, Heyward is on the injured list with a left oblique strain, leaving the team with a makeshift rotation of Lockridge, Gavin Sheets and Tyler Wade playing out in left field.

Kevin Acee of the San Diego Union-Tribune reports that the team has already started looking for an upgrade at the position.

"The Padres have begun exploring the trade market for a left fielder," Acee reported in a story.

The team was already rumored to have been prioritizing a new left fielder, but the latest injury to Heyward is likely adding urgency to the process of making an addition.

Gavin Sheets can fill in at left field, but his ideal role is as a designated hitter. Lockridge is batting .197/258/.262 this season over 68 at-bats, extremely lackluster production for a positional player in the MLB.

Wade is more a utility player who can fill any position while providing decent offensive and defensive coverage.

Then there is Heyward, who is having his worst season in the majors so far, batting .176/.223/.271 and ranking at the bottom in terms of run creation and playing below replacement level according to his -0.5 WAR.

There should be plenty of options that can provide an everyday left fielder who can be more productive than this group.

During the postseason, a roster cannot afford to have a significant weakness like the left field position has been.

President of baseball operations A.J. Preller is well aware of the hole on the roster and will be on the phones trying to find a noteworthy upgrade.

More news:Padres Place Michael King on Injured List in Brutal Update

For more Padres news, head over toPadres on SI.

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Nelson Espinal
NELSON ESPINAL

Nelson Espinal lives and breathes sports. Avidly following of everything ranging from motorsports to Mixed Martial Arts to tennis, he is connected with most of the sports world at all times. His dream of writing about sports started at 16 years of age, writing for a Lakers fans blog, and his passions for sports writing has grown since. He has his Bachelor's degree in Political Science, and a minor in writing literature from the University of California, San Diego.

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