Padres Linked to Power-Hitting First Baseman Coming Back From Serious Injury in Free Agency
The San Diego Padres offense this past season was one of the weirder ones in a long time. Despite having multiple All-Star-level talents, they struggled with consistency all season long.
This offseason the Padres are determined to fix that, and they want to build a more complete roster. One MLB insider has linked the Padres to former Philadelphia Phillies first baseman Rhys Hoskins. Hoskins missed all of last season while recovering from a torn ACL, but he should be ready to go in 2024.
The Padres have a need to upgrade at first base, and they have already looked into potentially trading Jake Cronenworth this offseason. Hoskins could make sense for them and would add more offensive production to this already-loaded lineup.
"No team had a worse OPS at first base last season than the Padres. Shifting Jake Cronenworth to first right after he signed his extension last spring swiftly lessened his value, and San Diego can move around some pieces (or use the DH) to accommodate Hoskins."
Hoskins could also play the designated hitter position for the team if they wanted to keep Cronenworth. While he didn't play last season, Hoskins was great during the 2022 season in helping the Phillies reach the World Series.
He wouldn't be asked to take on too much of the offensive load either with all the talent that the Padres have. It would likely be a seamless fit into the lineup, and San Diego would hope for a resurgent comeback season.
"The Padres lineup with Hoskins would look quite a bit like the one he left in Philadelphia, complete with stars through its first two-thirds. Presumably, that unit would cluster its hits in a less infuriating way than it did this past season."
The Padres got an up close and personal look at Hoskins in the NLCS last season, where he really broke out. They know the kind of damage that he can do, and signing him would be an excellent pick-up for them.
He is one of many options for this Padres team this offseason, but Hoskins does make sense. It would likely be a lower-valued deal for him to get his value back up around the league, and it would likely become a mutually beneficial contract.
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