Padres' priority should be re-signing unexpected contributor over Jurickson Profar

The San Diego Padres will have a plethora of questions to answer in the coming weeks. With the MLB offseason upon us, president of baseball operations AJ Preller will head back to the drawing board this winter in an attempt to rework the Padres roster and make another run at the playoffs in 2025.

First up will surely be the large number of key free agents the Padres will look to re-sign this offseason. The most surprising of the bunch is arguably Jurickson Profar. After inking a one-year, $1 million deal last spring, the veteran outfielder will be looking for a bit more security heading into 2025. Based on the All-Star numbers Profar put up last season, he's certainly in line for nice pay day.

But while Profar is, and should be, on the Padres' list of candidates to bring back next season, at least one more impending free agent should take priority over the Friars' left fielder. San Diego has little-to-no depth behind the plate, making Kyle Higashioka the Padres' most important incumbent free agent.

Padres' priority should be re-signing Kyle Higashioka over Jurickson Profar

There's reason to believe that Padres can bring both players back, but Higashioka's role is much more difficult to fill. Based on the current market, and the fact that Higashioka is not an elite defender behind the plate, the Padres could probably get away with offering the 34-year-old backstop a one-year deal with an option for 2026.

That would enable to the Padres to monitor top catching prospect Ethan Salas, and if he's ready to take over in 2026 San Diego can either cut ties with Higashioka or bring the veteran back to help mentor their top prospect when he inevitably make his big-league debut within the next two seasons.

It would be a lot easier for San Diego to replace Profar's production. Let's not forget that Profar was late-spring addition, and he more than outplayed his contract. There's reason to believe the Friars could find a similar low-cost option once again this offseason, and the Padres also have outfield prospect Tirso Ornelas down on the farm. The 24-year-old posted an .864 OPS at Triple-A last season and is viewed as one of the Padres top 20 prospects according to MLB Pipeline.

While Pads fans would love to have Profar back next season, San Diego has other holes to fill. The starting rotation will take a hit with Joe Musgove missing all of next season as he recovers from Tommy John surgery. Tanner Scott and Ha-Seong Kim will also likely be on the move this winter.

San Diego fans would love to see both Higashioka and Profar back in 2025, and that may well be the case. But if the Padres are forced to choose just one, the nod goes to Higgy.

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