With pitchers and catchers set to report for spring training in just a few days, the San Diego Padres still have a few roster spots to address before finalizing their team for the 2025 season.
One baseball insider suggests the Padres could land a projected $56 million Gold Glove winner from the Colorado Rockies.
Brendan Rodgers, who was non-tendered in November, is seen by Kerry Miller of Bleacher Report as a likely fit for San Diego.
“For a Gold Glove middle infielder, Rodgers has shown a solid bat… when playing at Coors Field,” Miller noted. “His career splits include an .826 OPS at home compared to just .628 on the road, which has likely made it challenging for the 28-year-old to secure a new deal.
“However, he’s performed even better at Petco Park, boasting an .887 OPS in 20 career games there. With the Padres having two open spots in their lineup, he could be a great fit.”
Rodgers, the third overall pick in the 2015 draft, was once the Rockies’ top prospect according to MLB Pipeline when he debuted in 2019.
Injuries, however, have prevented him from reaching his full potential, limiting him to 452 games across six seasons with Colorado. Despite these setbacks, he has posted a career .725 OPS with 45 home runs and won a Gold Glove in 2022.
A dislocated shoulder in spring training 2023 required surgery, keeping him sidelined for most of the season. He returned late in the year but struggled, slashing .258/.313/.388 with a 78 wRC+ over 46 games.
In 2024, Rodgers showed improvement but still underwhelmed, finishing with a .267/.314/.407 slash line and an 88 wRC+. Encouragingly, his performance improved as the season progressed—after a sluggish first half (.262/.306/.383, 79 wRC+), he rebounded with a .275/.325/.441 slash line and a 100 wRC+ in the second half. However, much of that success came in August, as he struggled in both July and September.
Rodgers could be a valuable addition to the Padres, offering versatility for a team looking for stability on the right side of the infield.
Currently, Jake Cronenworth is slated to play second base, while Luis Arraez is penciled in at first. However, San Diego would prefer to use Arraez as its designated hitter and shift Cronenworth to first base.
Spotrac projects Rodgers’ market value at five years, $56 million, but at this stage of the offseason, he is unlikely to command that kind of deal.
This could make him a bargain signing for the Padres.
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