The San Diego Padres will head into the 2026 season with a near complete defensive lineup. Mainstays like Manny Machado, Xander Bogaerts and Jake Cronenworth will take their positions at third, shortstop and second base respectively, while the outfield is complete with Ramón Laureano in left field, Jackson Merrill in center field and Fernando Tatis Jr. in right field. Thanks to a deadline deal with the Kansas City Royals, the Padres have their catcher of now as San Diego awaits the arrival of catching
prospect Ethan Salas, in Freddy Fermin.
With the defense all but ready to take the field Opening Day of 2026 before a single offseason move to address the big-league roster, the glaring omission from the list above is first base. The Padres have not had a steady first baseman since the signing of Eric Hosmer to an eight-year $144 million contract in 2018. Most of the Friar Faithful would call his performance, while in San Diego anything but steady.
The Padres have lacked the ability to solidify the first base position and worse yet, they have not gotten the production that is expected from one of the power positions on the field. San Diego saw Luis Arraez take most of the starts at first base in 2025 and he was supplemented by Jake Cronenworth, Gavin Sheets and Ryan O’Hearn. Arraez started 117 games at first base, Cronenworth and Sheets each made 13 starts and O’Hearn made 27 starts in half a season with the club. It should be noted that Connor Joe also got one start at first base prior to his release. To illustrate how important it is for the Padres to identify and add a legitimate first baseman before next season, Arraez is not even listed as one of the top potential first base free agents on Spotrac.
San Diego could try to re-sign O’Hearn and see what he can do with a full season in San Diego. He provides the power the Padres lacked throughout the year and due to the nature of his usage, he could be excused for the lack of consistent production in the final months of the season. As good as Sheets was to start the year, he tapered off in the second half of the year and may not be ready to man first base fulltime. It appears that Cronenworth would play first base in a pinch, but San Diego would like to keep him at second base because of his defense. Arraez, like O’Hearn, could be re-signed and continue to play first, but after a down season offensively, playing first base regularly seems to be a detriment to his production at the plate.
The top free agent first baseman this offseason, without question, will be Pete Alonso. It was reported Saturday that Alonso is seeking a seven-year deal. That long of a contract may discourage some teams from making a run at Alonso. Then, of course, there is the salary that he is going to command as one of the top power hitters in the game. Josh Naylor is the second first baseman available and he is productive though not to the level of Alonso, but he too will carry a hefty price tag. Paul Goldschmidt, Josh Bell and Wilmer Flores are all listed ahead of O’Hearn according to their 2025 AAV.
I would like to see San Diego bring back O’Hearn. I think he is the best option for the team considering who is available and his projected AAV. Spotrac has O’Hearn’s value listed just under $11.5 million, and a full season of him manning first base could not only improve the production in the lineup, but it could also strengthen the defense. Baseball Savant lists O’Hearn’s OAA at 89. He hit 17 home runs between Baltimore and San Diego in 2025, had 133 hits, 67 runs scored and finished the season with a slash line of .281/.366/.437. An offseason to work with Padres coaches and coming into the 2026 season as the unquestioned starter could make all the difference for O’Hearn. He played well enough the first half of last season in Baltimore to be named to the All-Star team, so the comfort of knowing his job is secure and his family can settle in San Diego could be the keys to solidifying the first base position and a successful tenure for O’Hearn with the Padres.
