Padres still have a glaring lineup hole even after signing Sung-mun Song

It turns out that A.J. Preller was simply waiting to get Michael King's signature on the dotted line, because the San Diego Padres' president of baseball operations immediately turned around and signed KBO star Sung-mun Song to a three-year deal mere hours later.

Song should greatly bolster the depth for the Friars after emerging as a star in Korea over the past couple of seasons, and he peaked with 26 home runs, 25 steals, and a .917 OPS in 2025.

Perhaps most importantly, he displayed strong defensive versatility, drawing starts at third, second, and first base. Whether as a utility player, first man off the bench, or starter at any of those positions, Song should greatly help Craig Stammen build out a competitive lineup on a daily basis in 2026.

However, for all of Song's talents, he can't single-handedly turn around the Padres' mediocre offense. As San Diego witnessed with Ha-Seong Kim, players converting from the KBO to the MLB often face an initial period of production suppression.

Is there a path for the Padres to add another player and put themselves and Song in the best possible position to succeed?

Padres should add Paul Goldschmidt as Sung-mun Song's first base platoon partner

Song, a left-handed hitter, has traditionally been better versus right-handed pitching throughout his career. If he is expected to take starts at first or second base in 2026, it'd probably be a good idea to get him a platoon partner to protect him from exceptionally difficult matchups in his rookie season.

The Padres have been looking for power-hitting threats at first base anyway; perhaps now that Song is in tow, they'll feel emboldened to chase someone who has a more specialized skill set.

If that's the case, Paul Goldschmidt stands out as a near-perfect fit — the former MVP has always crushed left-handed pitchers. Even in a modest season with the Yankees in 2025 (.274/.328/.403, 103 wRC+), the longtime Cardinals slugger hit southpaws to the tune of a .336/.411/.570 (169 wRC+) batting line.

Platoon that production with Song's power-speed profile, and the Padres might be cooking with gas at first base again.

The team did add Jose Miranda in free agency as well, though he's got reverse splits (111 wRC+ vs. righties, 83 wRC+ vs. lefties) and struggled badly in 2025. Counting on him as anything more than pure depth is a fool's errand.

This may be easier said than done, especially after the Padres just spent $88 million combined on King and Song. But if the goal remains to improve the offense even after adding the KBO sensation to the fold, adding Goldschmidt seems like the perfect next step.