3 players the Padres wish they signed last offseason, 1 they are glad they didn't

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The San Diego Padres had another huge offseason, inking a slew of players on contracts to try and help them make the jump from the team that lost in the NLCS to a World Series favorite.

Unfortunately, things have gone just about as poorly as you could've possibly imagined for this team. Sitting at 43-47 at the All-Star break, the Padres are on the outside looking in when it comes to the postseason picture.

Some of the signings the Padres made like Seth Lugo and Michael Wacha have helped San Diego stay somewhat afloat while others like Matt Carpenter and Nelson Cruz are part of the reason they're in this mess. With the Padres struggling, it gives us a good excuse to look back at some players we wish A.J. Preller would've signed, while also acknowledging another that could've made things even worse.

1) The San Diego Padres wish they signed J.D. Martinez

It's safe to say the Matt Carpenter/Nelson Cruz DH platoon did not work the way San Diego imagined it would. Two veterans with long track records of success felt like a fine idea to give the Padres decent production at the DH spot, but it's been an utter disaster.

Cruz was awful to the point where he was designated for assignment by San Diego, and it feels like Carpenter could be next with the Padres desperately needing to upgrade the DH spot. Padres DHs have a WRC+ of 80 which is 29th in baseball, only ahead of the Brewers.

Let's say the Padres chose to not go after the DH platoon and instead steal J.D. Martinez away from the Dodgers. Los Angeles got Martinez on a deal that's turned out to be a bargain of one year for $10 million. One of the best DHs of the last decade got such a cheap deal because he was coming off a down year in Boston, but he's bounced back in a huge way for the Dodgers.

Martinez is slashing .255/.303/.570 with 22 home runs and 62 RBI. He'd comfortably lead the Padres in both home runs and RBI while trailing just Juan Soto in OPS. For a Padres team that has been starved for offense much of the season, that would've helped.

Los Angeles Angels first baseman Brandon Drury / Jay Biggerstaff-USA TODAY Sports

2) The San Diego Padres wish they signed Brandon Drury

Let's say J.D. just wanted to join former Red Sox teammate Mookie Betts in Los Angeles and wouldn't consider a Padres offer. Why not just bring back a player you already had in Brandon Drury?

After an All-Star-caliber first half for the Reds last season, the Padres acquired Drury at the deadline and his production certainly did dip. He had a .724 OPS, over 130 points lower than his mark with Cincinnati, while not doing much for a majority of the postseason either.

Despite the slightly underwhelming tenure, a .724 OPS would've been a whole lot better than what the Padres have right now at the DH spot, and Drury has had a terrific year with the Angels.

Playing for the team he grew up rooting for, Drury is slashing .277/.322/.500 with 14 home runs and 45 RBI. He'd rank third on the team in both RBI and OPS, while also providing a lot of versatility.

Matt Carpenter's contract was two years and $12 million while Drury's is two years and $17 million. He's certainly worth the extra little bit that the Padres will likely spend on an upgrade anyway. Had Drury been with the team, there's a good chance this offense wouldn't struggle as much as it has, especially early in the season.

Boston Red Sox relief pitcher Chris Martin / David Frerker-USA TODAY Sports

3) The San Diego Padres wish they signed Chris Martin

The Padres made three offseason moves that affected the bullpen. First, they re-signed Robert Suarez on a five-year deal. Considering the fact that he hasn't thrown a pitch this season for the Padres, that contract has been a disaster so far.

Six days later, they re-signed Nick Martinez on a three-year deal. Martinez opened the season in the rotation, but since moving to the bullpen has become an integral piece. Martinez has become the primary set-up man pitching in front of Josh Hader, recording 11 holds in 36 appearances.

Brent Honeywell Jr. was an external addition and he's been very solid in the bullpen as well, often pitching the seventh innings in front of Martinez.

The Padres bullpen has been solid, posting a 3.82 ERA, which ranks 12th in the majors, but they do also have the sixth-most blown saves. Adding a lockdown reliever like Chris Martin, a guy who's allowed just five earned runs all season and blown one save, would've helped with that.

Martin is enjoying a career year with the Red Sox, posting a 1.57 ERA in 30 innings. He's been the primary set-up man for Kenley Jansen and has done just about as well as any set-up man in the game. Having a Martinez-Martin-Hader trio late in games would be electric.

The Padres bullpen isn't the main reason the team has struggled, but adding an elite arm on a cheap two-year deal would've been nice.

Los Angeles Angels starting pitcher Tyler Anderson / Jay Biggerstaff-USA TODAY Sports

The San Diego Padres should be thankful they didn't sign Tyler Anderson

The Padres have one of the best trios in baseball at the forefront of their rotation with Yu Darvish, Blake Snell, and Joe Musgrove leading the way. That's all great, but you can't navigate a 162-game regular season with three starting pitchers.

The Padres needed to address the back of their rotation with Sean Manaea and Mike Clevinger leaving in free agency, and they did so with Seth Lugo and Michael Wacha. Lugo has been better than advertised as a reliver converted into a starter, and Wacha has been arguably the best pitcher in the Padres rotation this season.

What if San Diego went in a different direction? The Los Angeles Angels were a team linked to both Lugo and Wacha but signed Tyler Anderson instead to help fortify their rotation.

The deal looked reasonable at the time (three years and $39 million). Anderson was coming off of the best season of his career with the Dodgers, posting a 2.57 ERA in 30 appearances. He was an All-Star in 2022, but has been anything but in 2023.

For the Angels, Anderson has an ERA of 5.25 in 16 appearances (15 starts). Among pitchers with at least 80 innings pitched, Anderson's ERA is the seventh-worst in all of baseball. Not great for the Angels' big ticket free agent addition.

To make matters worse, Anderson received the qualifying offer which meant the Angels forfeited a second-round pick to sign him. The Padres made two signings that didn't look perfect at the time of signing, but it's turned out great. The one that looked great at the time has been a disaster.

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