Outfielder Michael Conforto had a rough year with the Los Angeles Dodgers, and is now a free agent.

Despite his struggles in the regular season, CBS Sports’ R.J. Anderson believes there are better things to come from the former All-Star, and that he could move to another NL West team: The San Diego Padres. Anderson also listed the Pittsburgh Pirates and Cleveland Guardians as potential landing spots.

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Conforto had his worst season to date in 2025, batting below .200 for the first time in his career and posting a .637 OPS after staying above .700 for his entire career beforehand. He hit just 12 home runs, his lowest in a full season since 2016, and struck out at a 24.9 percent clip, which is his highest since 2017.

“But this is a weak free-agent class, and if you look at the bigger picture with [Conforto], it’s easy to talk yourself into a rebound year,” Anderson wrote. “Yes, really. Conforto’s key underlying metrics — think: exit velocity, batted-ball profile, and so on — all suggest he was on par with the preceding efforts, when he was a league-average or better performer. If you place any value in “expected” metrics, you may be heartened to learn that his expected wOBA was just nine points inferior to what he put forth in 2024. Maybe this ages poorly and Conforto repeats his disastrous output, but there’s a reason the Dodgers, with all their resources and championship aspirations, stuck by him like they did. It’s because everything suggests he should’ve played a lot better than he did.”

Conforto managed some solid numbers over the season, even during a down year. He maintained an 11.5 percent walk rate, ranking in the 84th percentile and improving upon his 2024 walk rate of 8.9 percent.

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His bat speed remained above average, and he placed in the 82nd percentile in chase percentage, the best finish of his career.

Conforto began to improve as the season continued, heating up in September and nearly pushing himself over the Mendoza Line, so a bounce-back season isn’t too far-fetched. The Dodgers certainly won’t be bringing him back, though, and will need to prove they made the right decision if he remains in the division.