The chief question facing the Padres this season is the one they’ve been wrestling with since Everth Cabrera unequivocally showed he wasn’t a long-term fit in San Diego: Who plays shortstop?
The Padres ranked 15th in shortstop WAR (2.6) during Cabrera’s PED-smeared All-Star campaign, 25th (0.6) when an arrest ended his 2014 campaign and 29th (-0.8) during last year’s attempt to move in a new direction. This year’s collection ranks last in the majors with minus-2.5 WAR, forcing the Padres to take a long look to take a long look at external options as the season winds down.