The San Diego Padres seemingly set their outfield for the 2026 season earlier in the offseason when they picked up outfielder Ramon Laureano’s option for the 2026 season, but the New York Post’s Jon Heyman believes they can make another move to further increase their depth.
The Padres were in for Boston Red Sox outfielder Jarren Duran at the deadline, and Heyman believes they can make another move.
“The Red Sox don’t have to trade an outfielder, as they don’t mind having four very quality guys,” Heyman wrote. “But there will be teams inquiring, very likely the Padres, who’ve long loved Duran and aren’t the types to give up.”
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Duran had a down year compared to his breakout 2024 campaign, batting .256 with a .774 OPS. He hit 16 home runs in 2025, driving in 84 runs and stealing 24 bases while maintaining a solid glove in the outfield.
While the idea of bringing in 2024’s All-Star Game MVP is attractive, the Padres don’t especially have a need for an outfielder anymore. Laureano had far better numbers than Duran in 2025, recording a higher batting average, on-base percentage and slugging percentage during the regular season.
He also managed eight more home runs than Duran in 25 fewer games.
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Laureano is only under contract with the Padres through 2026, though, so they could revisit the idea of bringing in Duran via trade in a future season. The 29-year-old is under team control through the 2028 season, and will likely be cheaper in future seasons.
The Padres are currently short on starting pitchers, and should direct their focus towards their pitching staff this offseason.
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San Diego lost three pieces of their rotation to free agency this offseason and will also be without Yu Darvish, who underwent Tommy John surgery at the end of October, for the entirety of 2025.
Nick Pivetta is currently their only surefire rotation piece for 2025, and they’ll look to add more names to their rotation as the offseason progresses. Duran is a top talent and would definitely bring some depth to the outfield, but the Padres have much bigger fish to fry this winter.
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