A busy offseason is underway in San Diego. The Padres are set to bring back a strong core for the 2026 season, but they have several key areas to address as well. Here’s a subjective ranking of their biggest needs this offseason, ranked five through one:

5. Bench depth

Freddy Fermin solidified the starting catcher spot. Ramón Laureano has a team-friendly option and will almost certainly be back to anchor left field. Gavin Sheets has earned a spot as the strong side of a platoon, at the very least. The Padres have filled out a handful of next year’s offensive needs with moves from the past 10 months.

But the bench spots behind that group are wide open. Elias Díaz and Jose Iglesias are free agents. Which means the Padres now need a backup catcher and probably a backup infielder. (They acq

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