The Padres got off to a slow start this offseason. Under A.J. Preller, it never stays that way for very long. After bringing Michael King back to anchor the starting rotation San Diego addressed their offense, landing Korean Baseball Organization star Sung-mun Song on a 4-year, $15 million contract. Song, 29, is primarily a 2nd and 3rd baseman but has spent time at 1st. The left-handed hitter really came into his own over the last two years with the Kiwoon Heroes (where he was teammates with Friar fan favorite Ha-Seong Kim). In 2025 he set career highs with 26 home runs and 90 RBI while hitting .315. Of course, there will be a learning curve as he adjusts to seeing a whole new group of pitchers in Major League Baseball. One thing that’s encouraging is he’s had success handling higher velocity, something most players from the KBO take a while adjusting to when they make the jump to MLB. As for how he’ll be used, San Diego has plenty of options. Unless the Padres see him as an everyday 1st baseman he’s most likely going to, at least at first, be their super-utility infielder. He’s not taking over for Manny Machado at the hot corner and Jake Cronenworth is entrenched at 2nd base. There is, of course, the possibility that Cronenworth moves back to 1st base (an experiment few, if any, Padres fans would like to see repeated) or the trade rumors that seem to follow him into every offseason finally come true. Song will be missing a large chunk of Spring Training with his new club but it’s for a good cause. He’s the captain of Korea’s national team that will be playing in the World Baseball Classic. ...read more read less