New Padres Slugger Was Blindsided to Be Cut By Former Team: 'It Fueled Me A Little Bit'

Gavin Sheets is already making a major impact in his first season with the San Diego Padres. But the outfielder did not expect to be playing with a new team in 2025.

Sheets was forced to elect free agency after Chicago White Sox general manager Chris Getz informed the 28-year-old the organization was non-tendering him in November. 

Sheets told Jeff Sanders of the San Diego Union-Tribune the move was shocking for him. However, he understands these types of moves are part of the business aspect of professional baseball.

“I didn’t see it coming,”Sheets said to Sanders recently. “But it’s part of the game. It’s part of where they’re at.”

The White Sox drafted Sheets as the No. 49 overall pick in the second round of the 2017 MLB Draft. He believed he was still part of the franchise’s plan, so he was blindsided to learn he was let go from the team.

“Looking back at it now, it fueled me a little bit to say the least,” Sheets said. “I thought that where they were at and where I was at, we could work together.”

Chicago has been struggling the past two seasons, losing 101 games in 2023 and a modern-era MLB record 121 games in 2024. But Sheets has also been navigating a slump. He recorded a career-worst 106 strikeouts last season and his OPS plummeted from .830 to .598 from 2021 to 2023

Sheets thought he could work toward improvement alongside the franchise. However, the White Sox had different plans in mind. Although the move was surprising for Sheets, he was excited to get a chance to join a winning team like the Padres.

“But as soon as it happened, I was kind of excited about getting a fresh start somewhere, getting somewhere where (I could) hopefully get back to winning,” Sheets said.

And San Diego has done just that. The Padres’ 7-0 record was the best start in franchise history.

Sheets is also finding his groove in San Diego, slashing .333/.359/.556 with two home runr and eight RBIs through 13 games.

Even though playing with a new team was unexpected by Sheets, it seems he has found the perfect fit for the next chapter of his career.

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