The Padres got a real jolt from Samad Taylor, and there’s a strong case for giving him another chance in 2027.
San Diego spent part of the season sorting through bench options in search of offense, and Taylor ended up standing out among that group. He brought a different kind of spark, one built around speed, contact and constant pressure once he got on base. That’s the kind of profile the Padres can actually use, especially in the smaller-ball looks they occasionally lean into.
Taylor’s arrival came after Seattle designated him for assignment at the start of the year, and San Diego brought him in on a minor league deal. The Padres then selected his contract on June 3, shortly after they moved on from DH Nick Castellanos. From there, Taylor quickly made his mark.
In 47 games, he hit .316 with an OPB of .390 and gave San Diego solid defense. His arm strength does limit him mostly to left field, but he still provided value out there. He was also one of the team’s better options when it came to bunting and advancing runners, an area where the Padres were not always sharp.
The speed showed up on the bases too. Taylor swiped 13 bags in those 47 games and often worked in tandem with Fernando Tatis Jr. to keep defenses uncomfortable once either player reached.
Power is the missing piece, and that part isn’t going to change. Taylor is a gap hitter, not a middle-of-the-order threat, which narrows the kind of role he can fill. But for a club like San Diego, with Tatis in the leadoff spot and an appetite for lineup flexibility, he can still be useful near the bottom of the order.
There are some caveats. Taylor has had trouble hitting consistently in earlier stops, and he missed time this season with an oblique injury. Even so, those concerns don’t outweigh what he offered when he was on the field.
He’s also still a pre-arbitration player, meaning he’s under team control through 2032. He made just under a million this year, and that makes the next move pretty straightforward: a new minor league contract with an invitation to spring training, plus options and incentives, would be a smart bet for San Diego after the impact he made.
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