3 non-roster invitees who could steal Opening Day roster spots for the Padres

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The San Diego Padres' roster is incomplete. While A.J. Preller was able to rebuild parts of the roster by trading away Juan Soto earlier this offseason, there are several holes remaining.

Preller has hinted at potential trades on the horizon and it sounds as if the Padres still have some payroll flexibility. There have been whispers that the Friars could still be in the market for a starting pitcher, and, of course, the outfield could use some attention.

But one way to fill in those gaps is to allow the process to play out in spring training, and promote one or two of the many non-roster invitees to the active roster. San Diego has a number of players who'll be looking to secure a spot on the Opening Day roster this spring, but which three players will stand out?

3 non-roster invitees who could steal Opening Day roster spots for the Padres

Matt Festa, RHP

There's always at least one pitcher who makes an impression during spring training, and the coaching staff can't help but bring him aboard the Opening Day roster. Last year, it was Domingo Tapia. Will Matt Festa be that guy this year? The Padres signed Festa to a minor-league deal earlier this offseason and invited him to spring training.

A seventh-round draft pick of the Seattle Mariners, Festa has major league experience. Between 2018-2023, Festa has made 89 appearances and owns a respectable 4.32 ERA. Last season, Festa made eight appearances for the Mariners and struck out over 30% of the batters he faced. Unfortunately, he walked almost as many.

Opponents in the minor leagues have had a tough time racking up base hits off Festa over the last couple of years. The opposition hit just .120 off the right-hander for Seattle's Triple-A affiliate last season. The year prior, though in a small sample size, opposing batters managed just a .079 batting average.

Festa has the potential to strike out the side, but he could also walk the bases loaded on 12 pitches. That type of volatility isn't something that most GMs and managers crave, but if he holds his own during Cactus League play this spring, it could be enough to land Festa a spot on the Padres Opening Day roster.

Óscar Mercado, OF

At the moment, the San Diego Padres have just three outfielders on the 40-man roster. Jose Azocar, Fernando Tatis Jr., and the newly signed Jurickson Profar. That's not enough. Unless the Padres make some more moves before Opening Day, they'll have to find another outfielder or two to join that trio before the Friars leave Peoria.

Óscar Mercado has plenty of major league experience. The outfielder played 20 games for the St. Louis Cardinals in 2023 and hit .290/.313/.387. While those numbers aren't bad, it doesn't really tell the whole story.

Mercado hasn't had much to write home about since his rookie season in 2019 with Cleveland. That year, in 115 games, the then-24-year-old Mercado hit .269/.318/.443 with 15 home runs and 54 RBI. While it would have been unfair to call Mercado a cornerstone for Cleveland after that rookie campaign, the Guardians certainly thought they had something to build around.

Unfortunately, it's been a downhill slide for Mercado ever since. Since his rookie season, Mercado has posted a .596 OPS and played for three different franchises. But, at this point, the Padres cannot be picky when it comes to finding a fourth outfielder to play alongside Tatis, Azocar, and Profar.

Mercado has a good shot to land on the Padres' Opening Day roster. He can play all three outfield spots, but is probably best suited to play left field. Mercado is worth 12 defensive runs saved (DRS), for his career, according to FanGraphs. Even if his bat doesn't play, Mercado could work as a defensive replacement.

Jackson Merrill, IF/OF

It seems wild to even suggest that Jackson Merrill could make the Padres Opening Day roster --especially considering that, at least for the moment, Ha-Seong Kim is still on the Padres roster and starting at short. While the Friars' shortstop has been the subject of trade rumors all offseason, there's a way that both Merrill and Kim could break camp with the Padres.

Merrill has been gathering reps on the outfield grass. Though a shortstop by trade, Merrill sees the avenue for a quick path to the big leagues by expanding his repertoire beyond just one position. It's been reported that Merrill has split time at shortstop and second base, as well as both left and center field.

If the Padres' top prospect continues to gain reps in the outfield during spring training and in Cactus League games, there's a tremendous chance that Merrill could leapfrog Triple-A and make his major league debut on Opening Day.

That's quite a jump. Merrill played just 46 games at Double-A last season, but having over 200 at-bats with the San Antonio Missions a year ago certainly gave the Padres' brass a glimpse into raw talent the 20-year-old possesses. In those 46 contests, Merrill hit .273/.338/.444. Merrill makes contact, has a low strikeout rate, and enough speed to be a threat on the base paths.

Without Juan Soto and Trent Grisham, the San Diego Padres need to find some way to add quality at-bats to the roster. If Jackson Merrill shows out during spring training, he may force the Padres' hand and secure a spot on the Opening Day roster.

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3 non-roster invitees who could steal Opening Day roster spots for the Padres

Matt Festa, RHP

Óscar Mercado, OF

Jackson Merrill, IF/OF

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