Padres: Kyle Schwarber would provide depth in left field

Should the San Diego Padres be in on former Chicago Cub Kyle Schwarber?

Yesterday, we ran a Twitter poll asking San Diego Padres fans which recently non-tendered outfielder they would be most interested in between Adam Duvall, Eddie Rosario, and Kyle Schwarber, and Schwarber has received the most votes. Would he be a good fit for the Padres?

Schwarber, who will turn 28 in March, was the fourth overall pick of the Chicago Cubs in the 2014 amateur draft and quickly ascended to the majors, first appearing in 2015. It looked like he was going to be a star before colliding with teammate Dexter Fowler in the outfield early in 2016. He was forced to miss most of the season due to injury, but miraculously was able to return to appear in the World Series and go 7-for-17.

The left-handed hitting slugger then struggled in 2017 to the point that he was sent down to the minors at one point, yet he came back and for a few years was showing steady improvement. In 2019 he batted .250 with 38 home runs. Yet 2020 was a down year in which he batted just .188 with 11 home runs in 59 games.

In a move that was motivated at least as much by money as it was by his 2020 struggles, the Cubs non-tendered Schwarber last week, making him a free agent. Schwarber is a strong bounceback candidate for a full 2021 season, though he was projected to make close to $8 million through the arbitration process.

Whether the Padres would be interested will depend largely on whether the National League will be using a designated hitter in 2021. Though it’s been reported that teams should assume that there will be no DH in the NL, no official announcement has been made.

If indeed the NL uses a DH, Schwarber would fill an obvious need for the Padres. Schwarber has improved to the point where he plays a passable left field, though he’s been rumored for years to be a good candidate to be a DH for an American League team.

Yet even if the NL doesn’t use the DH in 2021, Tommy Pham, who would currently play left field, is coming off a rough year. While the Padres decided to offer him a contract, Schwarber would provide insurance in case Pham struggles again.

What do you think, Padres fans? Would Kyle Schwarber be a good addition to the team? Or would it not be worth it? Let us know!