Padres might’ve just stumbled into a weirdly perfect first base platoon fit

Aside from starting pitching, another obvious need was first base. With both Luis Arraez and Ryan O’Hearn in new places, there was a massive question surrounding the position until A.J. Preller made an unprecedented move.

The Padres signed veteran infielder Miguel Andujar to a one-year, $4 million deal with $2 million more in signing bonuses. The deal occurred after the team had already reported to Peoria, Arizona, for spring training.

Miguel Andújar could turn into the Padres’ most useful under-the-radar bat

Andujar, 30, split 2025 with the Athletics and Cincinnati Reds, and he compiled a slash line of .318/.352/.470 with 10 home runs. He adds not a great, but a solid bat to the back of the batting lineup, and more importantly, fills a hole on the roster that the team could not afford to leave alone.

In 2025, Andujar demonstrated the ability to avoid striking out, as he ranked in the top 14 percent in strikeout rate. Even better, he is a guy who can always at least put the bat on the ball, managing to keep a whiff rate that places in the top 13 percent.

Andujar can also play all over the field, as in his career he has played both corners of the outfield, third base, first base, and can serve as the team’s designated hitter if they need him to.

The acquisition of Andujar seems to put the Jake Cronenworth trade rumors to bed, and in all likelihood, the 32-year-old will be slotted in at second base. If needed, Craig Stammen could also move Cronenworth to first base.

This is one of those under-the-radar moves Preller makes that get written off at first, but this is a big-time acquisition. Andujar can play the infield well enough to get by, and adds a good enough bat to a lineup that saw a ton of turnover during the offseason.

It will be exciting to see what Stammen has in store for Andujar.