The Padres may have to do some shopping at the low end of free agency while the bigger picture around the top of the market stays cloudy. Until a new Collective Bargaining Agreement is settled, San Diego won’t know how much room it really has to spend at the top. That issue won’t be resolved before Dec. 1, when the current CBA expires.
So the bargain aisle matters. And there are a few names that could fit.
Rhys Lowe stands out as the clearest possible replacement for Ty France if the Padres need one. He’s the only player on this list still active in the postseason, with the Guardians trying to win the American League Championship Series.
Lowe hit .252/.317/.444 with 17 home runs in 126 regular season games split between Cleveland and the Cincinnati Reds. His peak as a Silver Slugger winner in 2022 is behind him now, but the resume still carries some value.
He owns a .344 career on-base percentage and already has a World Series ring from his time with the Texas Rangers in 2023. His 2026 salary was $1.75 million, and San Diego could likely top that if needed.
Tony Gonsolin is another name worth watching if the Royals decide to pass on his $2.5 million option for next season. Gonsolin got back on a big league mound after Tommy John surgery and logged 2.2 innings for Kansas City at the end of the 2026 season. It wasn’t pretty - he gave up five runs, all earned - but simply getting back out there answered a major question about his arm.
Before injuries changed his trajectory, Gonsolin was a force for the Dodgers. He made 20 starts in 2023, and in 2022 he worked 130.1 innings while going 16-1 with a 2.14 ERA.
At 32, he still looks young enough to tempt a team into believing there’s useful life left in that right arm. Even if he doesn’t land a rotation job, he could still offer value as a long reliever.
Patrick Sandoval is the third low-cost option, and he comes with the kind of upside teams tend to bet on in this part of the market. The Red Sox made their move on him in December 2024, giving him a two-year, $18.5 million deal while knowing he would still be rehabbing in 2025. In his first season in Boston in 2026, Sandoval went 1-7 with a 5.12 ERA over 15 games, 13 of them starts.
Those numbers won’t create a rush for a 30-year-old left-hander, but there’s still a case for patience. Stuff+ had three plus pitches in his mix last season - a sinker, slider and changeup - though he only really commanded the changeup with any consistency. That kind of uneven command is no shock for a pitcher in his first year back after surgery.
With a normal offseason ahead of him, Sandoval could still profile as a back-end starter in 2027. And if the Padres decide three pitches aren’t enough to trust in the competitive National League West, he could slide into the bullpen and fill the Adrian Morejon role.
In Other News...
Padres Prospect Justin DeCriscio Is Forcing His Way Onto The Radar
Justin DeCriscio keeps adding to his case at a time when the Padres are always looking for young players who can push their way into the conversation. After going undrafted in 2024 before landing with San Diego as a 10th-round pick in the 2025 draft, he has used the Arizona Fall League to show why his name is starting to circulate a little more loudly. The blend is obvious enough: some offensive progress, enough speed to stand out, and the kind of defensive flexibility that lets a club imagine different ways to use him.
The latest jolt came with a three-run home run, the sort of swing that gets attention beyond a prospect report. DeCriscio has also been moving around the field, which only adds to the sense that he can help himself by staying adaptable, but the bigger question remains how his bat holds up against more advanced pitching. For a player who has already taken an unusual path just to get drafted, this fall is becoming an important test of how far that late momentum can carry him. [Read more 🡒]
Padres Suddenly Have A Shot At A Power Bat Worth Debating
Hanshins decision to post Teruaki Sato has put a potential power bat on the market just as the Padres continue weighing ways to deepen their lineup. San Diego is among the teams considering a run at the slugger, whose appeal is obvious enough: he offers the kind of offensive upside that can change the shape of a batting order, but landing him would come with real financial baggage in both a contract and a posting fee.
For the Padres, the question is not simply whether Sato can hit, but whether his power translates cleanly to MLB pitching and where he would fit defensively. Manny Machado is expected to stay at third base, which means San Diego would have to map out another role for Sato if it moves forward, making this as much a roster puzzle as a talent evaluation. [Read more 🡒]
Jackson Merrill Quietly Built A Padres Breakout Fans Should Notice
Jackson Merrills 2026 season ended with the kind of across-the-board production that usually turns heads around the league, even if it took a while to fully show up. During a year in which only six players reached the 25-homer, 25-steal mark, the Padres had two of them, with Merrill joining Fernando Tatis Jr. in that club after a strong finish helped reshape how his season looked on paper.
The first half was uneven enough that Merrills overall numbers still settled closer to league average than star level, but the second half told a different story. He hit .304/.339/.569 after the break, added 16 homers and eight steals, and closed the year with 26 home runs and 27 stolen bases, a reminder that his breakout came less with a bang than with a steady climb the Padres could not ignore. [Read more 🡒]