Mandatory Credit: Denis Poroy-Imagn Images
The Padres struck gold with castaway Gavin Sheets in 2025. Is that the start of a new chapter for him or just a one-off?
Padres fans got very used to players coming and going from the program and looking much better with different teams. They always seemed to take off after leaving San Diego. And frankly, that still happens.
However, now that the franchise has experienced a level of success, they have been finding players cast off by other teams to come in and compete in San Diego, with great success.
Jurickson Profar. Kyle Higashioka. Gary Sanchez.
Now, Gavin Sheets.
Of all teams, the lowly Chicago White Sox were the ones who cut him loose after 2024, not seeing him as part of their present and future plans. Not that anyone can blame them if all they did was look at his Baseball Reference page at the numbers. In his final season in Chicago, he batted .233 with just 10 homers in 139 games, along with an 89 OPS+, far below league average.
In parts of four seasons for the White Sox, he had a negative WAR of -2.8 with a career .680 OPS and 90 OPS+ in 435 games.
The hulking six-foot-three lefty simply needed a change of scenery, perhaps.
The Padres took a flyer on him in Spring Training. Sheets took full advantage of the opportunity, hitting .315 with a 1.077 OPS and six dingers in spring action. He basically forced the Padres to put him on the initial Opening Day roster. And what does he do? He becomes the hero on Opening Day, with a game-tying, pinch-hit home run.
He continued that presence for most of the season, shattering most of his previous career highs. He batted .252, with 19 homers (his previous career high was 15), a .746 OPS, and 105 OPS+. All of which were either league average or slightly above.
Gavin Sheets since August 1st:
190 wRC+
.439 wOBA
.299 ISO
1.039 OPS
His 190 wRC+ ranks 8th in MLB among hitters, w/ at least 50 ABs, in that time period pic.twitter.com/D9dXoVUcGp
— Clark Fahrenthold (@CFahrenthold11) September 9, 2025
He did all this while playing left field when San Diego had a gaping hole there. And stepping in at first base from time to time. Defense is certainly not his forte.
Now, if the season began today, Sheets is likely their starting first baseman. The question is- is he ready to be a full-time piece of this franchise moving forward?
He certainly brings the power. He is an intimidating presence in the batter’s box. The main question is- can he hit lefties enough to merit being an everyday player.
His splits last season are certainly concerning. He struggled against lefties to the tune of a .669 OPS, versus a .777 mark against right-handers. That lone may prevent him from being a viable, everyday starter.
However, some underlying numbers suggest what we saw from him this season was real and sustainable.
His barrel rate doubled between 2024 and 2025. He did that while shaving a few percentage points off of his strikeout and whiff rates. The hard-hit rate, xwOBA, and contact improvement all support that the hits were legitimate, not just fluky.
On the diamond, the Padres likely will not ask him to play a large share of innings in the outfield anymore. That should be addressed this winter, likely with triggering the club option for Ramon Laureano to go with Jackson Merrill and Fernando Tatis Jr. He would be a primary option for first base and designated hitter.
The luxury with Sheets is that the Padres have a long runway to figure it out at a cheap price. He is under contract for two more seasons and is playing in his arbitration years. The Padres paid him just $1.6 million to be a near-20-homer player.
If anything, Sheets becomes the primary platoon option against right-handers. He can be first base or designated hitter, depending on what the Padres do with their roster. His low price tag would allow them to justify if they wanted to make him a strict platoon player. Hopefully, they have the depth in 2026 where they don’t need to overexpose him.
Either way, Sheets will likely be a key piece moving forward, even if he doesn’t play 162 games. There is plenty of value in him being a platoon power option against righties and a weapon off the bench.
Sheets is here to stay.
Native of Escondido, CA. Lived in San Diego area for 20 years. Padres fan since childhood (mid-90s). I have been writing since 2014. I currently live near Seattle, WA and am married to a Seattle sports girl. I wore #19 on my high school baseball team for Tony Gwynn. I am a stats and sports history nerd. I attended BYU on the Idaho campus. I also love Star Wars.
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