When the San Diego Padres had one of baseball's worst offenses prior to the 2026 All-Star break, Gavin Sheets was a bright spot. He finished the season with 17 home runs against right-handed pitchers; only Manny Machado (25) and Jackson Merrill (20) had more.

For a team that slugged only .401 against right-handed pitching overall, Sheets' .436 mark was an obvious asset. He's projected by Spotrac and Baseball Prospectus to make $5.5 million in 2027, his final season of arbitration eligibility. MLB Trade Rumors estimates the number at $6.5 million.

On the right team — say, the Padres of the first half of 2026 — that salary might be a relative bargain. On another team, that's a lot to pay for essentially half a designated hitter, albeit a good one.

Is there a chance the Padres non-tender Sheets, making him a free agent? Kevin Acee of the San Diego Union-Tribune floated the idea as a possibility Thursday, with the caveat that "the Padres successfully woo a big free-agent bat to play the outfield and/or first base."

To this point in the offseason, the Padres' ability to woo a big-name starting pitcher has been seen as the main litmus test of the new owners' willingness to spend on player payroll. Scheduling a meeting with Tarik Skubal is a good first step, provided it leads to a competitive offer.

The decision to tender Sheets a contract also offers a useful test of how the 2027 Padres view their lineup options. Merrill should be a source of power against right-handed pitchers every year of his nine-year contract; if he falters, however, Sheets is a necessary secondary threat.

Of course, the free agent and/or trade markets might hold better options — even better bargains.

Japanese slugger Teruaki Sato, for example, might be the best left-handed hitter in a relatively weak free agent crop. Assuming he's comfortable shifting between left field, first base and DH, Sato would be a potential upgrade over Sheets (and two years younger).

NLCS MVP Jake Bauers was essentially a platoon-neutral hitter in 2026. Assuming the changes he made at the plate can carry over to 2027, signing Bauers is arguably a better option than bringing back Sheets.

The Padres could also dangle one of their right-handed hitting catchers — Luis Campusano or Freddy Fermin — as trade bait to upgrade the left-handed-hitting side of their lineup. Who would realistically be available to them in that scenario is unclear, but president of baseball operations A.J. Preller has a habit for exhausting his options on the trade market.

In any event, bringing back Sheets is no sure thing. If he leaves, it's probably a good sign that Kwanza Jones and Jose Feliciano's pledge to go "all in" on the Padres' roster includes a meaningful upgrade to the lineup in addition to the starting rotation.