San Diego Padres: Top 3 free agents left to consider this offseason

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Eric Hosmer #30 of the San Diego Padres. (Photo by Dylan Buell/Getty Images) /

With most of the top free agents now off the board, we look at the three best options for the San Diego Padres to consider this offseason.

It seems like the San Diego Padres were never that interested in Hyun-Jin Ryu before he signed with the Toronto Blue Jays.

And it really doesn’t seem like they were all that engaged with any of the top free agents this offseason, which is a little disappointing.

But when you consider the budget limitations and the big contracts already on the books, it makes a lot of sense.

The Padres have $75.5 million on the books for the next three season just for Manny Machado, Eric Hosmer, and Wil Myers.

By the time Myers is off the books and Hosmer’s AAV comes back down to $13 million a year in three years, players like Fernando Tatis Jr., Chris Paddack, and perhaps MacKenzie Gore will start getting big raises in arbitration.

San Diego maybe has room for one more big, long-term move in free agency over the coming years, so it makes sense why they never really could get in the bidding for the top free agents this offseason.

But that doesn’t mean there aren’t several free agents out there they should be interested in this offseason.

There are still some very good names left who could help the team in 2020, and there are some other high upside players who are looking to bounce-back that San Diego could take advantage of.

In no particular order, here are the three best free agents left for the Padres to consider this offseason.

Corey Dickerson

We’ll start with the obvious in Corey Dickerson, a player the Padres have been tied to often this offseason. In fact, MLB Trade Rumors predicted at the beginning of the offseason that he would land in San Diego.

Of course, almost any predicted move the Padres might make this offseason is predicated on Preller being able to move Myers’ contract.

It wouldn’t make much sense for them to sign Dickerson if Myers is still on the roster, nor could they afford him.

Last season Dickers hit .304/.341 with 12 home runs in 260 at-bats with the Pittsburgh Pirates and Philadelphia Phillies.

The left-handed slugger has hit pretty well against both righties and lefties in his career, but he’s been really good against righties with a career .290 average against them.

Obviously the Padres have made it a point to improve against right-handed pitchers this offseason and Dickerson meets that need.

Despite four straight really good years of production, Dickerson hasn’t had much of a market this offseason.

But that could be because outfielders Nick Castellanos and Marcell Ozuna are still available.

He likely won’t sign until those two come off the board. But when his market does come together, expect the Padres to be in the mix.

Alex Wood

There may not be a better bounce-back candidate on the free agent market this offseason than left-handed pitcher Alex Wood.

He has four seasons in his career of being a 2.4 WAR pitcher or better, including a 3.1 WAR season with the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2017.

But Wood picked the worse possible time to have a down season posting a 5.80 ERA in 7 starts with the Cincinnati Reds in an injury-filled 2019 before becoming a free agent.

He’ll most definitely be looking for a one-year deal to try and re-establish his market.

Wood is a fastball, curveball, change-up pitcher who doesn’t throw really hard, but that’s never kept him from striking batters out with a career K/9 of 8.2.

If healthy, Wood has the ability to be a top of the rotation starter.

And at the very least, Wood has the repertoire that could play up as a multi-inning reliever in the bullpen, or even as an opener.

Like Dickerson, Wood’s market hasn’t really developed this offseason and the Padres may luck out as a result. But I have a hard time believing there aren’t other teams out there willing to take a chance on this talented lefty.

But I certainly mind seeing the Padres take that risk and hope they can cash in on the soon-to-be 28-year-old.

Ben Zobrist

Hear me out, the 38-year-old Ben Zobrist can still bring a ton of value to a Major League Baseball team, the San Diego Padres included.

With Ian Kinsler recently retiring, San Diego could use a veteran voice in the dugout.

And unlike Kinsler, Zobrist can still be an effective player.

The front office has made it a point to bring in guys who get on base, and Zobrist has a career OBP of .357 over 14 seasons.

And while he only played 47 games with the Chicago Cubs in 2019, he hit .260 with a .358 OBP in 150 at-bats.

Not only that, but he still has the ability to play multiple positions, but primarily second base and the corner outfield spots, which is what the Padres need.

Despite his advanced age, FanGraphs still has him as a capable defender with a positive UZR of 2.4 in the outfield in 2019.

I think he could not only be a huge positive presence in the clubhouse, but he could also be a solid piece off the bench who can get on base and play multiple positions in the infield and outfield.

This one is not number one on my list because I think it’s the best move for the Padres to make, I didn’t order them that way, but the more I think about it the more sense it makes.

Kole Calhoun #56 of the Los Angeles Angels. (Photo by Emilee Chinn/Getty Images) /

Others to consider

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Kole Calhoun or Yasiel Puig could be possibilities in the outfield if they miss out on Dickerson. Out of the two, I’d lean towards Calhoun because of his left-handed bat and Gold Glove defense.

I love Brock Holt as a possible utility player, but I’m not sure if he’s much of an upgrade over Greg Garcia.

Rich Hill seems like a good fit as a veteran at the back of the rotation to help the young starters. And I can’t blame the man for taking up for his wife in a recent altercation that led to the couple both being arrested.

Ivan Nova is another back-of-the-rotation possibility who could eat up innings after pitching 187 innings with the Chicago White Sox in 2019 while posting a not-so-decent 4.72 ERA.

Drew Smyly could serve that same purpose but his 2019 was even worse with a 6.24 ERA in 114 innings after missing the 2017 and 2018 seasons.

If the Padres want to continue to build a strong bullpen they could look to sign World Series hero Daniel Hudson. But this might not be a cheap option as Hudson already has some multi-year offers on the table.

Robinson Chirinos and Jason Castro could be options at catcher if the Padres do trade away Austin Hedges or another catcher and are looking for a veteran replacement.

Next. Big decade ahead. dark

There is still value to be found out there on the free-agent market. We’ll see if the Padres take a shot on any of these players and hope for big value.

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