Padres’ desperate low-cost bet exposes a brutal corner depth problem

One of the Padres' greatest strengths is maintaining exceptional depth on the roster, and A.J. Preller always makes sure to address that need at least once or twice each offseason.

The latest example of this was the singing of KBO star Sung-mun Song, who logged a .917 OPS in his 2025 season with the Kiwoom Heroes.

We’ve also seen Preller hit on guys like Bryce Johnson, an outfielder who provides defense, speed, and the ability to hold his own at the plate. And of course, the bullpen is as deep as it gets compared to any other team.

Padres’ Jose Miranda bet is small, but the roster problem it exposes isn’t

Back in December, the Padres signed former Minnesota Twins infielder Jose Miranda to a minor league contract. A corner infielder, Miranda obviously won’t start with Manny Machado being the guy manning the hot corner, but as we mentioned, depth never hurts.

Miranda, 27, had a dismal 2025 season with the Twins. Appearing in only 12 games, Miranda slashed .167/.167/.250 with a -0.3 bWAR. This lack of production raises questions about how strong the depth is at the corner infield positions.

Machado played 159 of the team’s 162 games last season, as he is an absolute workhorse. But, he is beginning to age, and it wouldn’t be a surprise if manager Craig Stammen gave Machado a few rest days here and there.

For that to happen, the Padres must sign someone who would actually provide value on offense, something that Miranda hasn’t been able to do in his time in the major leagues.

On top of that, the Padres still need to figure out what the plan is at first base with Ryan O’Hearn being long gone. The team also needs to make a decision on whether or not they want to trade away Jake Cronenworth.

The corner infield depth is one thing that needs to be addressed, but we can’t forget the other needs that Preller needs to figure out.