San Diego Padres three must-have offseason acquisitions

Left-hand Hitting Outfielder

The San Diego Padres outfield mix is a mess as Manuel Margot and Hunter Renfro still haven’t convinced anyone that they’re everyday players. Both struggled mightily to hit right-handed pitching (Margot .200 and Renfro .208), but each could draw interest on the trade market despite their disappointing production. Unfortunately, the sand in the hourglass is running thin for their potential to be fulfilled as the Padres must resist the temptation of keeping them for another season. Choose one and deal the other in a package to acquire a proven left-hand hitting outfielder.

This type of acquisition may come down to targeting the right player who can come to San Diego and make the Padres lineup more complete from top-to-bottom. An intriguing option could be Colorado Rockies OF Charlie Blackmon, who would be the perfect addition between Fernando Tatis Jr. and Manny Machado in the batting order.

However, the one stumbling block for acquiring Blackmon could be he’s owed $43 million over the next two seasons, but he’s the type of contact hitter (lifetime .304 batting average) the Padres lineup has lacked since Tony Gwynn. Plus, Blackmon is versatile enough to play all three outfield positions.

The reality is players of Blackmon’s ability are rarely made available on the trade market, but the Rockies’ recent lack of success might force them to make a deal of this nature. Their farm system hasn’t been producing quality prospects of late, so the next logical step is trading a quality piece of the major league roster. The Padres might be able to pry Blackmon loose with the right mix of prospects and major league talent offered in a trade proposal.