Padres' first base solution is proving why the Luis Arraez exit made sense

When the San Diego Padres let Luis Arraez walk in free agency last winter, the decision was met with some mixed reactions from fans who had grown attached to his elite contact skills. Some questions whether the front office was punting on one of the more reliable bat-to-ball hitters in the sport. 

Nearly two months into the 2026 season, that questioning has quieted considerably. With a first base platoon of Gavin Sheets and Ty France, the Padres are doing more than filling a void. They’re actively reshaping what the lineup had needed all along.

Gavin Sheets is delivering the left-handed thump San Diego desperately lacked

Sheets was solid for the Padres last year, hitting .252/.317/.429 with 19 home runs, but he’s emerged as one of the more pleasant surprises in the whole league this year. He’s hitting .262/.340/.556 with nine home runs and 21 RBIs through 141 plate appearances. That’s good for a 152 wRC+. His ability to drive the ball to the opposite field, combined with his Petco-friendly pull power has made him a legitimate threat in the middle of the Padres lineup.

That production hit a peak on Sunday at T-Mobile Park in Seattle when he went 3 for 3 with two home runs, a double, and two walks. He led the Padres to an 8-3 win and a sweep of the Mariners. It’s the kind of game that, while still an outlier, has come to be expected from a hitter who people wondered if his 2025 was sustainable just a few weeks ago. 

This was the version of Sheets the Padres had been waiting for. He’s someone who can carry a lineup on his shoulders rather than just give depth to it. But he’s not doing it alone.

Ty France is quietly making the right-handed half work too

If Sheets is the headline, France is the subhead. He was signed to a minor league deal in the offseason after a mediocre season that followed another mediocre season. He’s provided veteran at bats, very good defense, and a nice complement from the right side for Sheets. He was the 2025 Gold Glove winner at first base, and that defense has been on display for the Padres. 

He doesn’t offer the same offensive ceiling as Sheets, but he also doesn’t need to. He’ll give a professional at bat against lefties and, again, can handle himself around the bag. He gives Craig Stammen the kind of flexibility that wasn’t there with Arraez last season. 

Why moving on from Luis Arraez still looks like the right call

It’s not like Arraez has struggled in San Francisco. Through the weekend, he was hitting .328/.370/.437 and playing immaculate defense at second base for the first time in his career. Everything in his profile has remained, plus he’s added batter defense. But that was never really the issue for Arraez with the Padres.

The lineup needed power, and still does. The problem with Arraez isn’t that he can’t produce in many ways, but his slugging just wasn’t what the Padres needed. And before he worked with Ron Washington, his glove didn’t justify the spot. It was discussed right here last summer that the hard-hit rate was terrible, and Arraez’s profile exacerbated the problem.

If he were still playing first for the Padres, the power issues that have been prevalent in this lineup would be even more glaring. France’s defense wouldn’t be helping the infield. The flexibility wouldn’t be there. The move was more about acknowledging that the Padres needed something different than anything else. 

The bigger picture for San Diego’s lineup construction

What makes this platoon even more encouraging is how it fits into the bigger picture. The core is Manny Machado, Fernando Tatis Jr., Jackson Merrill, and Xander Bogaerts. The Padres needed complementary pieces who could slug a little bit. Sheets gives them from the left side while France gives them less power, but enough that they’re not hurting. And it’s all coming at a fraction of Arraez’s price tag.

The Padres still have more than enough work to do offensively. Machado has given them next to nothing. Merrill has given them next to nothing. Tatis has given them next to nothing. That’s an issue. Bogaerts has had a nice year, but otherwise, they’re in trouble offensively because of the core. Just think where they’d be without the Sheets/France combo. It’s making that offseason decision look better every day.

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