The San Diego Padres had an exciting offensive unit in 2026, but it was far from consistent.

At the All-Star break, Fernando Tatis Jr. had just five home runs, Manny Machado was hitting just .203 (with 19 home runs) and Jackson Merrill had a .219 average with a .628 OPS. These struggles paired with a lack of starting pictures led to San Diego falling three games under .500 during the last week of July.

But then, the Padres went on a 42-19 stretch heading into the playoffs and stormed into the National League Division Series against the eventual World Series champion Milwaukee Brewers.

Assuming president of baseball operations AJ Preller takes the necessary steps to essentially rebuild the starting rotation, the offense shouldn't rely upon becoming the hottest team in baseball at the perfect time this offseason, but bring in outside talent that can complement the many stars on the roster.

One name that the Padres were recently linked as a best fit for is Pittsburgh Pirates second baseman Brandon Lowe, who has been predicted to land a three-year, $45 million deal, per The Athletic's Jim Bowden

Why Brandon Lowe Makes Sense for the Padres

Across his first season in Pittsburgh following an offseason trade from the Tampa Bay Rays, where he spent the prior eight years, the two-time All-Star drilled 35 home runs with a .260/.331/.493 slash line and an OPS of .824. He added a career-high bWAR of 5.4 with his highest batting average and most RBIs (96) since 2021.

Additionally, Lowe's home games were played at PNC park. The left-handed batter sent most of his long balls to right field, where Petco Park's right field fence extends just two feet further than Pittsburgh at the foul pole, seven feet further at its furthest point and a wall about 18 feet lower. Thus, he could feast at Petco Park.

Another part of why his fit would help get the Padres over the hump is the position he plays.

Current Padres second baseman Jake Cronenworth had another season of struggles at the plate, hitting .225 with a .629 OPS. His 8.9% walk-rate put him in the 46th percentile in baseball, compared to a 2025 rate of 13.4%, good for the 94th percentile.

Defensively, Cronenworth has an Outs Above Average ranking of minus-5, placing him in just the 12th percentile in MLB. Lowe's grading of 15 put him in the 98th percentile in the league.

Cronenworth, despite two All-Star nods and being a beloved member of the fanbase, is owed around $12.3 million per season through 2030. If all or most of his contract can be offloaded, that money would be better spent on a player like Lowe, if not Lowe himself.

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