White Sox Trash Turns into Padres Treasure...Again

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Gavin Sheets and Manny Machado of the San Diego Padres

Back in 2016, the Chicago White Sox made a trade for starting pitcher James Shields that would significantly alter the franchise’s future. In what looked to be a salary dump for the San Diego Padres, they would add one of the game’s biggest stars: Fernando Tatis Jr.

Fast forward to 2025, and it looks like the White Sox may have made a similar mistake. This time, it wasn’t through a trade, but instead, the Sox declined to tender the contract of struggling lefty slugger Gavin Sheets. The Padres then stepped in and signed Sheets to a minor league deal. So far, this deal has been one of the best signings of the entire offseason.

Gavin Sheets Breakout

Gavin Sheets had to work his way onto the Padres’ Opening Day roster, as he only signed a minor league deal. He did just that by balling out during Spring Training, where he hit over .300 with six home runs in just 54 at-bats. He made it an easy decision for the Padres.

At the beginning of the season, Sheets was the platoon designated hitter against right-handed pitching. Fortunately, he has played extremely well and is now an everyday player for the Padres.

His breakout season has truly been remarkable. In his final two years with the White Sox, Sheets struggled heavily with an OPS of .598 in 2023 and .660 in 2024. Now, it looks like all he needed was a new opportunity, as Sheets has been one of the Padres’ best players at the plate, leading the team in RBIs and slugging.

So Why Has He Improved?

The biggest reason for Sheets‘ dramatic improvement is that he’s tearing the cover off the baseball. Compared to 2024, his hard hit rate is up from an uninspiring 35.3% to 53.2%, which is top 5 in the MLB. On top of that, his barrel rate has more than doubled, his exit velocity is up ~5%, and his xSLG is up 117 points. He’s destroying the baseball.

The interesting part of his advanced numbers is that he has declined in two majorly important areas: striking out and walking. He’s striking out 3.7% more and walking 2.7% less often, and also whiffing at a higher rate. His approach is more aggressive, and he’s taking bigger swings. While this may not work for everyone, it’s clearly working for him.

Gavin Sheets’ Future with the Padres

The biggest contingency for Gavin Sheets’ future in San Diego is if he continues the success he’s had early on. While his sample size on the Padres is small, his adjustments and change of scenery make it feel more likely than not. I mean, remember, he was on one of the worst teams in history last season, where everyone seemed to regress.

If he continues to swing the shillelagh this way, the Padres will have hit the jackpot. Not only would they have found a diamond in the rough, but Sheets’ contract is very favorable for the Friars, as he is under control until after the 2027 season.

“Holy Sheets” has already become a fan favorite, and he may be for quite some time. It really does look like the Padres have taken the White Sox’s trash and turned it into treasure…again.

Matthew Kaimer is a sports writer covering the MLB for heavy.com. He has worked for Heavy since 2023 and has over 5 years experience covering the MLB and San Diego Padres through his social media outlet “Friar Talk.” More about Matthew Kaimer