Following their incredible 14-3 start, the San Diego Padres have come crashing down to earth in the last two months, and much of the blame falls on their lackluster offense.
The Padres' mediocre 23-25 record over their last 48 contests is a reflection of an offense that is far too reliant on the performance of a few inconsistent stars. While Fernando Tatís Jr. (.186/.266/.333 since May 5) and Jackson Merrill (.196/.240/.289 since May 13) have been mired in some of the worst slumps of their careers, the rest of the lineup has not picked up the slack. Xander Bogaerts has continued his career spiral with a .637 OPS, three-time batting champion Luis Arráez is hitting a career-worst .274 and left fielder Jason Heyward (.494 OPS) has been among the league’s worst hitters. The only real bright spot has been Manny Machado, but even the future Hall of Famer has been unable to carry the Padres past ranking 20th in Major League Baseball in runs scored.
Fortunately for the Padres, a pitching staff that ranks 6th in the majors in ERA has kept them afloat during their offensive struggles, but if they hope to compete with the Los Angeles Dodgers and the other National League juggernauts, the Padres need to add another impact bat. Bleacher Report’s Kerry Miller believes they may be able to find a match in Atlanta Braves slugger Marcell Ozuna.
“Maybe the Padres bring (Ozuna) in and make Gavin Sheets the full-time left fielder?” Miller wrote.
Evan as his Braves have vastly underachieved around him, the 34-year-old Ozuna has continued his career resurgence that began with a 40-homer campaign in 2023. While his .261 average and 10 home runs are a notch below his prior two years, his 89th-percentile hard-hit rate and 92nd-percentile xwOBA prove he still has some thunder left in his bat. Even more impressive is his MLB-leading 18.4% walk rate, a product of a career-low 21.7% chase rate.
In a volatile lineup, Ozuna’s consistent and refined approach would provide a major boost, and he could slot behind Machado, Tatís Jr. and Merrill to form one of the most fearsome foursomes in baseball. The only potential drawback would be the necessity of having to move Sheets, who accounted for -8 Outs Above Average in 2024, from DH to left field, but the offensive upgrade from Heyward to Ozuna may simply be too good for the Padres to pass up.
More MLB: ESPN writer explains why Phillies should be 'worried' headed into trade deadline season