Padres playing 'at top of market' could lead to Fernando Tatis Jr. playing second base

Kevin Acee, The San Diego Union-Tribune on Nov 11, 2026

Published in Baseball

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LAS VEGAS — The Padres’ priority by a wide margin this offseason is adding quality starting pitchers.

That will be costly.

The Padres have signaled to several agents at this week’s general managers meetings that they are, in the words of one agent, “playing at the top of the market.”

As part of that effort, they have a meeting with free-agent starting pitcher Tarik Skubal tentatively scheduled for the middle of next week. The exact timing of that get-together in Orange County is contingent on the schedule of Padres owners Kwanza Jones and José E. Feliciano, who are expected to attend. (MLB owners meet next week in New York.)

Skubal, a two-time Cy Young award winner who is considered the most attractive starting pitcher on the market, is expected to command more than $40 million a year.

Padres personnel have acknowledged that signing Skubal would almost certainly limit them to some extent as they attempt to fill multiple spots in their starting rotation and bolster their offense.

The reality is that given the price and steep competition for Skubal — at least four other teams have meetings scheduled with him — it is the Padres’ pursuit of top-level position players that could determine where their payroll lands.

“We’ve talked about different concepts and players that are available and kind of what it looks like,” Padres president of baseball operations A.J. Preller said. “We haven’t said, like, this is a hard and fast number right now. What we are committing to is we’re going to put a team on the field that’ll be competitive. That’s not at a certain number level. That really is more player specific.”

And how that shakes out could determine where Fernando Tatis Jr. lands.

He could, as he did in 2026, split hit time between right field and second base. He could be almost exclusively in right field, where he has won two Platinum Glove awards. He could return full-time to the infield.

How Tatis is used likely hinges on whether the team’s pursuit of Seiya Suzuki and other outfielders pans out.

The Padres have also expressed interest in Japanese star Teruaki Sato, who plays the corner infield spots and left field.

Another free agent option the Padres have discussed is Jazz Chisholm Jr., who has been used almost exclusively at second base the past two seasons but has also played extensively in the outfield.

Preller acknowledged this week that Tatis could be the team’s primary second baseman, a position he played for the first time in ’26 and where he ended up starting 50 games.

Tatis has hardly hidden his preference for the infield. He was a shortstop through the minor leagues and in his first three big league seasons. He gamely and relatively effortlessly made the transition to outfield in 2023, but he has acknowledged and the organization under manager Craig Stammen came to value the fact he is far more engaged and energetic when playing on the dirt.

While his defense in right field has few parallels, the anecdotal evidence that the Padres are better off with him at second base includes the fact he had a .974 OPS when in a game at that position. His OPS was .769 while in games as a right fielder.

“Having guys that can move around the field, both infield and outfield, that’s helpful for sure,” Preller said. “I think for Fernando, we’ve seen him be a Platinum Glove right fielder and last year he was very productive when he played second base — both offensively and defensively, so that helps.”

While their lack of top-end starting pitching puts bolstering the rotation atop the Padres’ to-do list, several people in the organization have stressed that improving the offense is a must as well.

The flexibility of Tatis gives them more options in terms of the position of the primary bat they add.

The Padres have in the past been close to acquiring Steven Kwan from the Guardians and Jarren Duran from the Red Sox. Both players are believed to be available this offseason.

Among the options for the Padres in the outfield is a platoon of Samad Taylor and Dustin Harris in left.

And if the Padres move Tatis or add a second baseman, that leaves Jake Cronenworth playing first base or, more likely, all over the infield.

One of the priorities in 2027 will be to keep third baseman Manny Machado and shortstop Xander Bogaerts fresh, as both turned 34 this year. Between filling in there and on the two positions on the right side of the infield, Cronenworth could still get regular playing time.

“Something we’re still kind of working through,” Preller said in response to a question about Tatis’ role. “It really just depends on how we fill out the roster. And then we’ll be really clear with Fernando and other players on our team.”