Where Padres Could Go At Second Base in 2021

We take an early look at some of the upcoming free agent second baseman the San Diego Padres could target this coming offseason.

When the San Diego Padres traded away Luis Urias this past offseason it opened up the question of who will become the second baseman of the future for this team.

Of course, many thought it would be Urias, but apparently the Padres never saw him developing into the player we thought he could be.

A.J. Preller made a knee-jerk move — in my opinion — by immediately trading for Jurickson Profar. And then at the beginning of spring training once he finally realized that may have been a mistake, he went out and got Brian Dozier.

Neither of them look to have much a future with the club, and right now second base looks like the weakest position on the team.

The Padres do have a couple of prospects who could fill the void in the near future. Owen Miller is somebody who could get a shot as soon as 2020 if roster are indeed expanded. But he seems more like a bench player to me.

Jake Cronenworth is somebody I really like and he had a solid spring training. We could also see him get some opportunities this season.

Perhaps CJ Abrams gets moved to second, but I think he has too much athleticism to waste his talent at second.

Esteury Ruiz is another possible option at second down the road.

But there are some free agents coming available who I think could fill the void for the next couple of years until maybe one of those young guys takes over.

MLB Trade Rumors recently put out their list of the top second base free agents this upcoming offseason.

At the top of that list is DJ LeMahieu, Jonathan Villar, and Kolten Wong. However, Wong has a team option for 2021 that will likely be picked up.

LeMahieu is a very intriguing option as he’s always been a great hitter, but last year he added some power too hitting 26 home runs. That could have been aided by the alleged juiced baseballs or playing in Yankee Stadium, but it was a huge year for him.

He’s a great defender as well, but he’ll turn 32 this July, so you wonder how much he’ll have left in the tank.

If the Padres could get him on a three-year deal to help bridge the gap to one of their youngsters, I think he could be a great fit in the lineup.

Villar is two years younger and would also be a very nice option; although he doesn’t have the glove that LeMahieu has.

I think those two are very solid candidates for the Padres to consider this upcoming offseason. Let me know what you think about the future at second base for the Padres in the comments below.