The San Diego Padres have had an interesting offseason to this point. Although they failed to re-sign Dylan Cease, they were able to bring back starter Michael King on a three-year deal.
Additionally, they signed one of the best available infielders from the Nippon Professional Baseball league, the most competitive league in Japan. That infielder was Sun-Mung Song.
Song, now 29-years-old, has played nine seasons in the NPB and has accumulated an impressive resume. Last season for the Kiwoom Heroes, Song hit a career-high 26 home runs to go along with 90 RBI's and 25 stolen bases. Song also hit.315 and carries a career average of.283 in the NPB.
Additionally, Song is also seen as a solid fielder, taking home the equivalent to a Gold Glove award at third base last year. As well as third base, Song has also made appearances at both second and first.
With the infield trio of Manny Machado, Xander Bogaerts and Jake Cronenworth, manager Craig Stammen may have to move Song elsewhere.
“Wherever we can get his bat in the lineup, that’s what we’re going to try to do. And we want to find a spot for him where he can be productive for the Padres and there’s a lot of different places that I think he can fit,” said Stammen.
This puts a position in the outfield on the table for Song, although the Padres outfield is also crowded with Fernando Tatis Jr., Jackson Merrill and Ramon Laureano.
Another possibility is that Jake Cronenworth is traded. San Diego has already been rumored to be shopping the two-time all-star.
Either way, Padres fans will be excited to see what Song can bring to the table in 2026.
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- Tigers re-sign Kyle Finnegan to a two-year $19 million contract