The San Diego Padres made a trade in 2025 to acquire outfielder Ramón Laureano from the Baltimore Orioles. 1B/OF Ryan O'Hearn was also acquired in the trade, but he was a free agent at the end of the 2025 season.
Laureano had a second year on his contract after the Padres exercised the option for 2026. He received $6.5 million for the season but was on the injured list from June 2 through the remainder of the season.
Laureano had been playing for several seasons with a partially torn labrum in his right hip but the injury worsened and surgery was required. The recovery is typically 4-5 months and took the outfielder out of the Padres plans for the remainder of the season.
President of baseball operations A.J. Preller joined manager Craig Stammen for the year-end press interviews on Oct. 14. Preller updated Laureano's status, detailing his rehab progress and stating that he had received daily text messages from Laureano with updates on his status during the postseason. He had committed to being ready if the Padres made it to the championship round and had been working diligently in Arizona to make that happen.
The diminutive outfielder (5-foot-9, 203 pounds) is 32 years old and made his debut with the Oakland Athletics in 2018. Over the nine seasons since his debut, Laureano has played for the A's, the Cleveland Guardians, Atlanta Braves and signed with Baltimore prior to the 2025 season.
After being traded to the Padres, Laureano went on a power surge and ended up hitting 24 home runs with 76 RBI. That success prompted the Padres to pick up the option on his contract for the 2026 season.
Prior to his trip to the injured list, Laureano did not have a good start to the season. He admitted after his injury was revealed that he had been dealing with it for years and should have had it taken care of sooner.
In the 53 games played before his exit, Laureano hit .203 with a .660 OPS. His career batting average is .250 with a .760 OPS. He has a 111 OPS+ for his nine seasons as a major league player.
With many players reaching free agency this offseason and the pending labor disruption, the Padres could benefit from offering Laureano a prove-it contract before Dec. 1.
After he worked through his rehab under Padres medical staff, they are uniquely qualified to determine his outlook for next season. If he was a candidate to join the roster for the playoffs then he should be fully healthy for next season.
The best that Laureano can hope for after missing most of 2026 is a "prove-it" contract. Should he choose to test the market he would likely only be offered minor league deals with other teams.
A prove-it deal would guarantee a Spring Training inclusion and an opportunity to win the left field job. The other players on the roster that would be competing for that job would be Samad Taylor and Dustin Harris. The player brought up to replace him when he was placed on the IL was Jase Bowen. Bowen is a valuable defensive replacement and pinch runner but hit .146 with a .438 OPS in 96 at-bats. Taylor and Harris are under contracts and the only other outfielder, Austin Hays, is a free agent.
Looking at his performance numbers and injury history, it seems reasonable that Laureano would sign for $1-3 million guaranteed with performance incentives. Any other team would require health verification and would likely not guarantee him anything. As a returning player for 2027, the Padres should be able to work with the outfielder and secure a slightly better-than-league-average player for minimal cost.
