Fernando Tatis Jr. "not an option" while Jackson Merrill an "interesting" alternative at SS as Ha-Seong Kim's exit looms, says Padres insider

San Diego Padres insiders last week discussed the possibility of Fernando Tatis Jr. and Jackson Merrill as potential replacements for Ha-Seong Kim at shortstop. Kim, who has an $8 million mutual option for 2025, is expected to move on from the club in the offseason. This has left the Padres front office with some thinking to do as they look to replace their regular shortstop.

With the Padres unlikely to splurge a lot of money on free agents, they have a few internal options that they can afford to explore. After Kim suffered a season-ending injury in September, Xander Bogaerts took over at SS.

During the Oct. 15 episode of the Ben & Woods podcast, Padres insider Ben Higgins thought that based on the defensive runs saved stat, Bogaerts was more suited to second base rather than shortstop.

Co-host Steven Woods then examined the remaining options. He dismissed Fernando Tatis Jr. as one of the men capable of taking up the role due to the injuries he has faced in his career.

"Fernando Tatis is not an option... Jackson Merrill that can be interesting," Woods said.

"Because of the injuries in Fernando Tatis' body I think that ship has sailed. Could he do it? Yeah, he could, he is a superstar, he could absolutely do it. But I think because of the stress reaction, because of the shoulder, because of all of those things I think Fernando Tatis is your right fielder," Woods later added. [6:55]

Higgins then went on to explain why they felt that Merrill would be a good option for the position.

"Jackson Merrill, yeah he has shown he has the ability to be an everyday posting player already in his career. You can have that conversation about Jackson Merrill, you'd have to find someone to play center field," Higgins added. [8:32]

Jackson Merrill open to returning to shortstop

Jackson Merrill was drafted out of high school as a shortstop, but he was converted into an outfielder because of the already stacked infield for San Diego. Earlier this month, Merrill said he would be open to return to shortstop if needed.

“I just take them there now for fun, just keep my hands kind of smooth and keep my footwork kind of good,” Merrill had said. “But whatever happens, happens. If they want to throw me back in the infield I’m ready. At the same time, I’m happy where I’m at.”

Merrill had an impressive rookie season as he hit .292 with 24 home runs and 90 RBIs.

No matter who the Padres go with, they will not be looking to compromise their infield defense as Ha-Seong Kim was a Gold Glove-caliber player.