Padres get it right by DFA'ing former Gold Glove veteran in outfield shake-up

They did it. The San Diego Padres finally did right by their own organization. On Saturday, the Friars designated veteran outfielder Jason Heyward for assignment.

It took almost halfway through the 2025 season, but Padres president of baseball operations A.J. Preller and his staff pulled the plug on another aging player who was not producing. The 35-year-old had been on the injured list with a left oblique strain, which may have been the start of the end of his time with San Diego.

Brought on as a somewhat viable defensive option in left this year, Heyward was mainly going to be a clubhouse leader to try and steer the Padres to a postseason berth. However, with the rest of the left fielders not performing, Heyward was just taking up a roster spot. The Friars have been using Gavin Sheets, Brandon Lockridge, and Tyler Wade in left field. Perhaps those will be the main options going forward if the Padres do not try and trade for another outfielder (looking at you, Jarren Duran and Luis Robert Jr.).

Heyward batted just .176 this season in 34 games, backed by a .494 OPS and 20 strikeouts in 85 at-bats, which made him one of the worst offensive players in Major League Baseball. Heyward joins Yuli Gurriel as the latest over-35 player to cut ties with San Diego this season.

Heyward is a five-time Gold Glove Award winner and a one-time All-Star. He's rakced up an impressive 41.5 bWAR for his career, but this season he has been in the negatives (-0.6). Heyward, if this is the end of the road for him, will go out with a ton of respect leaguewide as one of the best defensive outfielders of the last 10 or so years. But getting him off of the team needed to be done.