The San Diego Padres are considering a major move involving Fernando Tatis Jr., but not in a trade. The Padres are reportedly open to putting Tatis Jr. back in the infield full-time if they land a top outfielder in free agency.

Bob Nightengale of USA Today notes that Tatis had a much higher OPS while playing in second (.974) than in right field (.769) last season.

Tatis Jr. is coming off another stellar season with the Padres. He hit .289 (his highest average since his rookie season) with 25 home runs and 83 RBIs in a career-high 159 games to lead the Padres back to the postseason for the third straight season. They made it back to the NLDS but fell in four games to the eventual World Series champion Milwaukee Brewers.

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Tatis Jr. started 103 games at right field (he played 120 games there overall) and made three errors. By contrast, he committed four errors in 50 games at second base. He came up playing shortstop but eventually transitioned into a full-time outfielder. The Padres star has emerged as one of the top defensive outfielders in the majors, with two Gold Gloves already to his name.

But the numbers indicate that Tatis' offense has been considerably better while playing second, so the Padres might be thinking it's worth the slight hit in defense for some added offense. However, it still depends on whether they can land a big outfield bat. With some big holes still to fill in their starting rotation, it remains to be seen whether the Padres will have enough left to spend on that additional bat.