Padres Could Fill Major Hole in Blockbuster Trade With Athletics

With left fielder Jason Heyward's move to the injured list, the San Diego Padres are in need of a replacement left fielder, and the Athletics' Miguel Andujar is a perfect fit for the role.

Heyward landed on the injured list for the second time this season May 24, this time with a strained oblique. He spent April 19-29 on the injured list with left knee inflammation, leaving the Padres in the market for a left fielder.

The Athletics called up MLB.com's No. 14 prospect first baseman Nick Kurtz from Triple-A Las Vegas on April 23, which pushed Tyler Soderstrom into left field, taking Andujar's spot. The Dominican has played 23 games in left field this season, but the sudden change has pushed him into positional limbo.

He has featured at third base, first base and right field since the switch, and has sat 10 games while the A's figure out where he fits.

Andujar is set to hit free agency after the 2025 season, meaning the Padres could get him for cheap despite his impressive numbers this season. He has three home runs and 20 RBIs in 2025, and has a slash line of .318/.348/.430 with an OPS+ of 116.

Andujar is batting .410 with runners in scoring position this season, which could prove invaluable to a Padres team which has struggled for offense in recent weeks.

The Athletics rode an 11-game losing streak into Sunday's win against the Philadelphia Phillies, which highlighted some long term concerns after their surprisingly good start to the 2025 season.

In May, the A's have a 8.05 bullpen ERA, the highest in MLB. The Padres' bullpen ERA of 3.48 is 10th in MLB, and they could realistically part with some of their pieces, such as Yuki Matsui or Adrian Morejon, for the move if they could squeeze more out of the A's. They also have young pitching talent in the minors, and could strike a deal there if the A's decide to plan for the future.

The A's have unloaded for young players in the past after their season got out of hand, most recently in 2024. They struck deadline deals for set up man Luke Erceg, who went to the Kansas City Royals and starting pitcher Paul Blackburn, who went to the New York Mets. In both trades, they received players who were age 24 or younger.

Though the Padres will have Andujar for less than one season, he could be the x-factor they need to push them into serious contention — and fill their huge hole in left field.

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