Padres may turn to another veteran signing as search for additional hitters continues

As the Padres look to cement who's in their everyday lineup for the 2025 season, it's clear there is a glaring need for another bat. The career year that Jurickson Profar (3.6 WAR) enjoyed in '24 allowed the front office to hold off on adding more talent in the hitting department. Without Profar's elite, yet unexpected, performance offensively, adding another bat was always going to be essential to this team building sustainable success. Fast forward a year, and Profar has signed with the Braves, leaving a noticeable gap to fill.

Recently, the Padres signed OF Jason Heyward & OF/1B Connor Joe to compete for the starting LF position this spring. While both have proved to be formidable pieces for any ball club, Heyward is 35 years old and entering his 16th year in the majors. If he's able to harness the success he had in Atlanta, St. Louis, or Chicago, then the conversation stops there. However, it's more than likely those days are behind him, and he'll be more of a clubhouse leader/defensive replacement as a 5-time Gold Glove winner.

Joe, on the other hand, is going into year 6 and, more than anything, just hasn't broken through in the MLB as a reliable bat. With a career .242 batting average and only 35 career home runs, it's unclear whether he simply needs more reps or what you see is what you'll get. Perhaps the Poway, CA native will flourish playing for the hometown team, but the answer is far from definitive.

Who's Still Available?

Unless GM A.J. Preller gets crafty, which he is notorious for, there are 3 names in the free agency market that the Padres should consider specifically for the DH spot. Justin Turner, J.D. Martinez, & Anthony Rizzo are who I'd keep my eye on. All of them are 10+ year veterans, World Series champions, and their strongest attribute is flat-out hitting. With a lineup highlighted by Luis Arraez, Fernando Tatis Jr., and Manny Machado, the Padres don't need any of these 3 to have career years or numbers. What's truly needed in this lineup are professional at-bats that keep the line moving.

We saw what the recipe was last year to amass 93 wins and the top Wild Card spot. Contributions by the likes of Kyle Higashioka, Donovan Solano, David Peralta, etc., allowed this team to develop trust within each other and not rely on any one or two specific players. Turner, Martinez, or Rizzo would contribute to that team ideology with ease while providing adverse playoff acumen simultaneously.

Whichever way the front office decides to address this void will directly correlate to Padres fans expectations of returning to the playoffs in '25.