Jake Bauers is suddenly the kind of free-agent puzzle piece the Padres have to at least think hard about.
That’s a twist for a player San Diego once barely got to know. Back in the seventh round of the 2013 MLB Draft, the Padres took Bauers, a first baseman out of Marina High School in Huntington Beach.
His run in the organization didn’t last long. He wound up as a throw-in in the December 2014 deal that sent Trea Turner to the Washington Nationals and brought Wil Myers, among others, to San Diego.
Steven Souza Jr., who is now the Padres’ hitting coach, was sent from the Washington Nationals to the Tampa Bay Rays in that same three-team trade.
Twelve years later, those paths could cross again.
Of everyone headed to the 2026 World Series, Bauers stands out as the most interesting name from a Padres perspective. He just put together a career year for the Milwaukee Brewers, hitting 26 home runs while setting personal bests with a .266/.389/.484 slash line in 144 games. That performance came with perfect timing, too: it’s his free-agent walk year.
And then came October. Bauers was named MVP of the National League Championship Series after driving in six runs in the Brewers’ four-game sweep of the Los Angeles Dodgers. He also went 3 for 4 against the Padres in the NL Division Series, and while the hit total was modest, he still reached base at a .471 clip.
For San Diego, the fit is obvious on paper. Ty France is headed for free agency after a career year of his own, so Padres president of baseball operations A.J.
Preller needs an alternative if France doesn’t return. Bauers would give the Padres a logical backup plan.
The price tag makes the case even stronger. Milwaukee paid him just $2.7 million in 2026, and he was worth 3.3 Wins Above Replacement according to Baseball Reference.
The underlying numbers back up the breakout, too. Statcast says Bauers posted elite marks in barrel rate, exit velocity and bat speed last season.
Even if his production slips a bit in 2027, age 31 doesn’t exactly promise collapse, and there’s little reason to think his bat speed would suddenly crater to the point that he becomes a liability.
There’s also a roster fit beyond the first-base spot. Bauers hits left-handed and can handle both corner outfield positions, which would give the Padres a more balanced lineup than the one built around the right-handed hitting France.
And the story element is impossible to miss. Bauers has already been through a lot: he was designated for assignment only five years ago, traded three times after being included in that 2014 blockbuster, and at one point nearly retired. Now there’s at least a chance he could circle back to the team that started everything for him.
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