Padres’ offense fueled them last season. Now, they’re searching for it

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SAN DIEGO — Almost three hours before Sunday’s first pitch, Gavin Sheets patrolled left field at Petco Park, attempting to get his bearings. It had been several weeks since he made his first-ever appearance at that particular position in this particular building. Soon, he would receive his 10th career start in left. So, as he shagged fly balls ahead of a day game, the San Diego Padres’ primary designated hitter welcomed the nearby presence of Jason Heyward, a five-time Gold Glove right fielder and, thus far in 2025, the team’s primary left fielder.

“To come out there today with me and be a part of that,” Sheets said afterward, “it just shows the special player, the special teammate he is, and what he means to this team and this ballclub.”

Heyward’s purported value has been as intangible as it is measurable. The former Chicago Cubs stalwart and 2016 World Series winner signed a one-year, $1 million contract on the eve of spring training. Teammates and coaches say Heyward has brought a wealth of experience and a willingness to impart his wisdom. In left field, a relatively unfamiliar assignment, Heyward has supplied adequate defense as he approaches his 36th birthday. Meanwhile, inside the left-handed batter’s box, he has provided reminders of the challenges the sport tends to pose for older players.

The Padres defied modern convention last season, riding a contact-fueled lineup to October while getting a slew of timely swings from veteran additions Kyle Higashioka, David Peralta and Donovan Solano. In 2025, the club’s efforts to again fill out an offense on a budget have yet to produce such promising returns. Yuli Gurriel was designated for assignment before April was over. Heyward, who is hitting .177 with an adjusted OPS of 42, sat out Sunday for the third time in four games — despite the Padres’ facing a right-handed starter in every game. From his perch along the dugout railing, he watched as San Diego was swept for the second time in four home series.

“This is one of those things where the game tests you,” manager Mike Shildt said after a 6-1 loss to the Seattle Mariners marked the Padres’ third consecutive game in which they were held to a single run. “It actually paints an even clearer picture of when we’re going well — which is a lot of the time — what we do to help us win baseball games.”

The past month has seen a purported World Series contender regress in multiple ways after a franchise-best start. Since winning 14 of their first 17 games, the Padres have lost 15 of 28. Their pitching staff has gone from posting a 2.70 earned run average in the former span to logging a 3.85 ERA in the latter. Though the second number puts San Diego near the middle of the pack, the club’s offense ranks closer to the bottom with an average of 4.14 runs per game since April 15. Take out a 21-0 demolition of the historically bad Colorado Rockies at mile-high Coors Field, and the aforementioned number would drop to 3.52 runs per game.

Three games against the Mariners indeed highlighted the contrast between the early-season Padres and the more recent version. The home team finished 0-for-21 with runners in scoring position. The Padres did not have to face injured top starters Logan Gilbert and George Kirby. Seattle still got the best performance of rookie Logan Evan’s big-league career, a competitive outing from Emerson Hancock and his inflated ERA, and seven mostly dominant innings from Bryan Woo, one of the more talented pitchers in the majors. The visitors also got 9 1/3 innings of one-run baseball from a shutdown bullpen featuring former Padres reliever Andrés Muñoz.

“Everybody knows what they had,” said right fielder Fernando Tatis Jr., who hit a leadoff homer Sunday for the Padres’ lone run. “It was a matter of fact of them executing, and they did. So, tip your cap.”

Nando has left the yard. pic.twitter.com/ZRcjBYeFcc

— San Diego Padres (@Padres) May 18, 2025

Yet the Mariners also appeared to wield an edge in offensive firepower. In the three-game series, they out-homered the Padres by a 6-2 margin, with four players going deep at least once. On the other hand, San Diego’s three best hitters — Tatis, third baseman Manny Machado and center fielder Jackson Merrill — combined to go 4-for-34. The collective slump amplified what can happen when the Padres’ stars do not carry a top-heavy lineup.

San Diego’s only other home run in the series belonged to Sheets, who joined the organization shortly before Heyward, signing a minor-league deal after he was non-tendered by the Chicago White Sox. The Padres have since gotten more than expected; Sheets, who ended last season with a .660 OPS, has delivered six home runs and an .800 OPS. But his defensive utility is limited. Sunday, Sheets received the start in left field, Shildt explained, to give Machado a day at DH and veteran infielder José Iglesias his first start in 11 days. Then, during the Mariners’ four-run fourth inning, Sheets lost his glove trying to make a play on a double off the wall.

“Not many people are making that play,” Shildt said. “When (the ball) shoots past him, maybe that’s probably not what you’re looking for optically. But it wasn’t like, ‘Oh, my gosh, you should’ve had that play.’”

The Padres can stomach some defensive awkwardness in their search for more sustainable offense. Shildt, after Sunday’s game, did not rule out the possibility that Sheets will receive more left-field opportunities. Iglesias might have earned more playing time with a two-hit showing, but a pair of singles merely bumped his OPS to .578. The Padres haven’t gotten much more than that from their catching position, even as their left fielders have scuffled to the tune of a .517 OPS, fourth worst in the majors.

Elsewhere Sunday, there were reminders that last season’s offense represented an ideal confluence of established stars and newcomers. Higashioka, now catching for the Texas Rangers, is batting .235 with only one home run. Solano, who was not in the Mariners’ lineup, is hitting .131. Peralta, a fellow 37-year-old, remains a free agent. The Los Angeles Dodgers released Chris Taylor, making him a hypothetical candidate to address the Padres’ left-field woes, but the 34-year-old’s underlying numbers are even worse than Heyward’s.

Of course, most teams would welcome the position the Padres find themselves in: still possessing baseball’s fifth-best record despite weeks of largely uninspiring offense. The sweep by the Mariners brought what seemed to be an especially uncharacteristic series for Merrill, arguably the best center fielder in the sport. Merrill said after the finale that a wrap he had worn on his right hand was to cover a blister, but he declined to blame the annoyance for another hitless game.

“Obviously, it’s frustrating. Like, it pisses me off, for sure. I’d love to hit,” Merrill said. “When I’m not hitting, it’s a little tough. But, you know, there’s plenty of season left. Just got to relax, take it one day at a time.”

Weeks from now, San Diego could approach the trade deadline with a greater sense of urgency. The Padres certainly could use more depth and increased firepower; their 23 home runs since April 15 put them near the bottom of the majors. (Take out the five they hit in their historic shellacking of the Rockies, and they would rank last in that category.) But the front office no longer wields as much prospect depth as it did a year ago before it traded much of that depth away. And the club’s projected luxury-tax figure already sits above the second tax threshold. There could be significantly less flexibility this July.

So, as they did last summer, the Padres must conjure more of the relentless, contact-driven attack that powered them to October. It remains to be seen whether this particular offense can replicate such production.

The Padres, coming off the wrong end of a sweep, are counting on it.

“We’ve won a lot of series, and we’re going to continue to win series, but it just crystallizes you’ve got to throw strikes (and) you’ve got to execute with quality strikes and get your opportunities, especially with teams that have more consistent pitching,” Shildt said.

“But there’s no concern on my part at all. Just get back to playing our game. We know what that looks like.”

(Photo of Fernando Tatis Jr.: Orlando Ramirez / Getty Images)

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