SAN DIEGO -- The Padres split four games against the Cubs this week at Petco Park. Twice, their offense looked formidable. Twice, it looked lifeless.

Why such a roller coaster? Look no further than the opposing pitcher.

All season long, the Padres have torched left-handed pitching, and they beat up on Cole Hamels and Jose Quintana for a pair of victories this week.

But all season long, the Friars have struggled immensely against quality right-handers. They lost to Kyle Hendricks on Monday. Then, San Diego fell victim to 14 Yu Darvish strikeouts in a 4-1 loss in Thursday’s series finale.

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Entering the offseason, there’s no area of greater concern for the Padres’ offense than its struggles against right-handed pitching. Take a look at these splits, entering play Thursday:

Against lefties: .259/.339/.450, 105 wRC+
Against righties: .237/.301/.409, 85 wRC+

Essentially, the Padres are already postseason-caliber when they’re facing left-handed pitching. But they’re a bottom-six offense when facing righties. And, as you’ve probably already noticed, the world has a lot more right-handers in it.

The Padres’ goal this offseason is to get better against righties without sacrificing what they’ve already built against lefties. Easier said than done. San Diego has a righty-heavy offense, and in some ways, it is locked into that.

Manny Machado and Fernando Tatis Jr. can hit pitchers from both sides, but they’re much better against left-handers. They’re not going anywhere. Righty-hitting Luis Urias and Ty France have significant splits at second base. Behind the plate, Francisco Mejia is a switch-hitter, but he, too, is better against left-handers.

There’s no easy fix. But the Padres aren’t waiting around in search of a solution:

• At the Trade Deadline, they dealt righty slugger Franmil Reyes for lefty-hitting prospect Taylor Trammell.

• Immediately following that move, they promoted lefty Josh Naylor to take Reyes’ spot.

• Greg Garcia has gotten regular starts at second base against right-handers.

• A’s outfielder Nick Martini was claimed off waivers in August and has played regularly.

And yet, despite those moves, San Diego's deficiencies were on full display on Thursday afternoon. Darvish was the beneficiary of a large strike zone from home-plate umpire Ramon De Jesus. Myers even earned his first career ejection in the ninth inning for arguing balls and strikes.

But Darvish also consistently exploited the overaggressiveness of Padres hitters. Another tricky right-hander, another poor showing from San Diego's bats.

“If we had the answer, there wouldn't be that problem,” Myers said. “At times, we’ve been righty-heavy, especially early. But, obviously, now we have more lefty bats. ... We just need to keep working. This offense can be good against left and right.”

If the Padres want to meet their goal of contention next season, they can’t afford to be so far below league average against right-handed pitching. How do they fix it? Only so many spots in the lineup can be altered, after all.

It’s possible San Diego could add at second base or maneuver at catcher. But there’s one place where offense is easy to find: in the outfield. Right now, Myers, Hunter Renfroe and Manuel Margot all mash against lefties but drop off significantly against righties.

So here’s how the Friars might be able to balance their outfield this offseason:

Option 1: Sign a free agent

There aren’t many big-name lefty sluggers available. But the Padres might not want a big-name lefty slugger (on a long-term deal) anyway. The organization has plenty of confidence in Naylor and Trammell. But Trammell, 21, isn’t quite big league ready, and Naylor, 22, has been mediocre against right-handers this year. There are indications San Diego might look to pursue a veteran lefty-hitting outfielder on a shorter deal -- think Nick Markakis or Corey Dickerson. That could balance the offense while also allowing for Trammell and Naylor to take hold of jobs in the future.

Option 2: Make a trade

Things get a little tricky here. The Padres' offense is good against lefties, but not elite. After trading Reyes, they can’t sacrifice much else if they want to maintain that level. It’s certainly possible they might look to move Myers this winter. But historically, his splits are the most even of any current outfielder. If San Diego wants to carry five outfielders, he might be the best candidate to play against both. That said, the Friars have plenty of moveable pieces in their farm, and a deal for a lefty-hitting outfielder is a distinct possibility.

Option 3: Get better in-house

It’s worth remembering the Padres have a pretty perfect center-field platoon available on their roster already. But injuries have limited Franchy Cordero to 49 games over the past two seasons. If Cordero is back to full health, he and Margot could comprise a solid duo in center field. In the corners, perhaps one of Martini, Naylor, Trammell or Travis Jankowski will assert himself. But San Diego will explore the first two options extensively before it falls back on No. 3. Thus far, the in-house options aren’t working.