4 no-brainer San Diego Padres roster decisions to make this offseason

2) It’s a no-brainer for the San Diego Padres to move on from Matt Carpenter

The thought was good at the time last offseason when the Padres signed both Matt Carpenter and Nelson Cruz to split the DH at-bats from opposite sides of the plate, but boy, it now is a decision that has backfired.

San Diego cut ties with Cruz in July when they designated him for assignment after his struggles reached a point of no return. Carpenter survived the season, which was somewhat of a surprise, but his at-bats have gone down as the season went along and he is no longer the offensive producer he was in his better days with the St. Louis Cardinals.

Preller bet on him after his 2023 season in the Bronx with the New York Yankees, but it was a by-product of the dimensions of Yankee Stadium and a lineup where his struggles at times were covered up. Despite the multiple big bats in the Padres lineup, the struggles they endured this season couldn’t cover up his tough season.

There are going to be other options in free agency for the Padres to fill the DH positions (which we will explore shortly) and, at this point, if they can’t land a better bat in free agency, just maybe signing Garrett Cooper to a short-term deal is an avenue to explore for Preller.

3) It’s a no-brainer for the San Diego Padres to bring back Gary Sanchez

Yes, things looked tough for Gary Sanchez toward the end of his time with the Yankees, then at the beginning of the season when he failed to catch on with the New York Mets and San Francisco Giants, but he found solid ground in Southern California with the Padres.

Signed in late May, he has done a good job handling the pitching staff, especially Blake Snell, and he has provided some good at-bats. It’s unlikely that Snell returns next season and the Padres could be looking at adding some young arms to the rotation and bullpen and having a catcher with the experience of Sanchez would be very beneficial.

A Sanchez and  Luis Campusano combination next season would be good and, when he’s not catching, some DH at-bats for Sanchez could be available. Austin Nola’s struggles forced the hand of the front office in signing the veteran catcher and bringing him back next season should be a no-brainer.

4) It’s a no-brainer for the San Diego Padres to sign J.D. Martinez

Since the Cruz and Carpenter experiment failed miserably this season, the Friars will be in the market for a full-time DH bat, and signing J.D. Martinez, even if it’s a one-year deal like he got this season with the Los Angeles Dodgers, is worth adding.

 He is a big piece of the middle of the Dodgers order and has proven this season that he has something left in his bat, despite the Boston Red Sox not re-signing him. At this point in his career, the former Houston Astors and Detroit Tigers slugger before landing in Boston is slashing .273/.350/.524 in Los Angeles with 31 home runs and 98 RBI. Where would San Diego be this season if they signed him last winter?

Think about this, the Padres gave Carpenter $6 million and Cruz $1 million this season, while Martinez signed in Los Angeles for $10 million. Just $3 million more could have had him with the Friars and things likely would be much different for Preller and his team.

Depending on how things play out for the Dodgers in October, the 36-year-old might not be looking for $10 million this winter, possibly less for a chance to win another ring. This would be a win-now move that would greatly deepen the Padres lineup.

A lot of questions are going to come up over the offseason as to what they roster looks like next season, but some of the Padres issues could be solved with some of these no-brainer moves.