The San Diego Padres had a great 2024 regular season. Their 93 wins are the second-most in franchise history, they crushed the Atlanta Braves in the Wild Card Series, but they lost to the Los Angeles Dodgers.

While the end was disappointing, the future is bright in San Diego. General manager AJ Preller had great things to say about Padres’ star outfielder Fernando Tatis Jr on MLB Network at the Winter Meetings.

“He’s got great instincts. It’s not just physical ability. He’s a guy that understands the game well, he grew up in the game. On the field and in the playoff series against great players from the Braves, great players from the Dodgers, he was arguably the best player on the field,” Preller said.

Tatis started the postseason as hot as he has ever been. Through Game 3 of the NLDS, he had 22 plate appearances with 10 hits, three walks and a hit by pitch. That adds up to a .636 OBP. He had four homers in those five games, including two in Game 2 of the NLDS, a 10-2 Padres win.

But Tatis was part of the reason the Padres faltered in the end. Their entire offense disappeared for the final two games against the Dodgers. While there is not much to fix, Preller must address their offensive issues from the playoffs.

What could the Padres add at the Winter Meetings

The San Diego Padres missed the playoffs in 2023 and made the move of last year’s Winter Meetings by trading Juan Soto. They improved after dealing the superstar, which puts them in a great spot to add this year.

They are losing Ha-seong Kim, who has not signed yet but is not expected to return to the Padres.

Kim played shortstop for a team full of shortstops. Tatis came up at the position, as did center fielder Jackson Merrill, second baseman Xander Boegarts, and third baseman Manny Machado. While Kim will be missed, they can replace his defensive value in-house.

Anthony Santander would be a great addition to the Padres. He can play outfield but is not a great fielder, so would likely be the designated hitter. It would help add pop to their lineup and not create any more defensive issues. They could move Boegarts to short and have Luis Arraez and Jake Cronenworth as the right side of the infield.

The Padres also have Tanner Scott hitting free agency after a big trade landed the closer in San Diego. They should work to bring him back and make the deal worth it.