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.