Padres Listed as Best Fit for Brewers Postseason Hero in Free Agency

The San Diego Padres are already experiencing some of the immense roster turnover that was expected to be had this offseason. Given that the offseason in question may last significantly longer than normal due to the impending MLB lockout, there is a lot of work to be done before Dec. 1.

Something that has made president of baseball operations AJ Preller successful, among his other talents as a major league executive, is finding talent in the most unlikeliest of places.

Last offseason, this meant inking a minor league deal with first baseman Ty France, who was close to retiring from the game of baseball after his age-30 season . Though the best hitter on the team making just $1.35 million last year is another one of the masterclass-type moves from Preller, France will cash in a much larger paycheck in 2027 after a 4.5 bWAR year and an OPS+ nearly 40% higher than league average.

According to MLB.com insider Mark Feinsand, the kind of money it will take to fill that position may be better spent on a championship-tested player, a first baseman also entering his age-31 season that he linked to the Friars.

Milwaukee Brewers first baseman Jake Bauers came into the 2026 campaign with a career batting average of just .211. This past October, he hit .286 in the National League Championship Series with an OPS of .983.