Gavin Sheets’ projected $6.5 million salary forces Padres to question his value

We've heard the term "budget constraints" get thrown around a lot when it comes to the San Diego Padres in recent years, though we really saw the effects of it last offseason when the team couldn't do much beyond re-signing Michael King to a three-year contract laden with player options.

Those constraints might be even more severe this time around, what with the Friars welcoming in a new ownership group and an existential lockout threatening the sport in December. One would have to assume that, following their torrid finish to the season, the Padres will spend and invest in the roster, but A.J. Preller might have to cut some costs to balance the books in turn.

Which brings us to the curious case of Gavin Sheets. After a breakout campaign a year ago, the 30-year-old appeared well on his way toward repeating those efforts with a 112 wRC+ in the first half. Then, foot troubles hampered him the rest of the way, and Ty France completely took over as the team's full-time first baseman.

Now projected to make $6.5 million in his trip final through arbitration -- a sizable raise over the $4.5 million he made in 2026 -- might the Padres opt to move on in search of upgrades elsewhere on the roster?

Gavin Sheets' limited profile will render him superfluous to Padres this offseason

Sheets' tale-of-two-halves season ultimately balanced out to render him a league-average hitter (102 wRC+). By itself, that's a somewhat valuable profile (especially for a platoon or bench player), but there's a lot of other factors working against the slugger right now.

For one thing, Sheets can only play first base and left field, and he isn't a very good defender at either spot. If France returns on a new contract, that also eliminates the former position as a place for Sheets to play. And, as we saw with guys like Dustin Harris, Luis Rengifo, and Samad Taylor late in the year, the Padres shouldn't have a ton of trouble finding a system that works in left field.

So, in that scenario, would the Padres really pay a league-average hitter more than $6 million to serve as their designated hitter? Note that Sheets posted an ugly 33 wRC+ against southpaws in 2026, so he'd probably need a platoon partner as well.

That just doesn't seem like a feasible path forward, especially with his foot injury lingering as a great unknown right now. Non-tendering Sheets feels untenable because he's been so important to this team at various points in 2025 and 2026, but paying him a sizable salary that could more efficiently be used to acquire pitching depth is an even worse plan of action.

In effect, Sheets' future in San Diego seems to be out of his control; if France returns, he may ultimately be the odd-man out.

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