The Padres are shaping up to be one of the busiest teams in baseball this winter, and their shopping list could stretch well beyond the obvious. San Diego is expected to chase Tarik Skubal hard, but Sports Illustrated’s Nicholas Selbe also sees the Friars making a run at another arm from the Dodgers: left-handed reliever Alex Vesia.
Selbe predicted Vesia would land in San Diego on a two-year, $20 million deal, a move that would give the Padres another high-end piece for a bullpen already built around Mason Miller.
Vesia has carved out a reputation as one of the steadiest southpaws in the game since becoming a regular in the Dodgers’ bullpen in 2021. Over six seasons in Los Angeles, he owns a 2.87 ERA with a 32.6% strikeout rate across 332 ⅓ innings. He’s also been especially reliable in October, recording a zero in 28 of his 31 postseason appearances.
He showed more than just his usual fastball-and-bat-missing profile this year, too. According to the report, Vesia added an improved changeup to help him handle right-handed hitters more effectively. The one blemish remains his walk rate - he ranked in the fourth percentile in MLB in 2026 - but the overall package is still attractive enough to make him a likely target on the market.
For San Diego, the fit is pretty clean. The Padres don’t need a closer with Miller in place, and Adrian Morejon is expected to be priced out of their range after his recent elite run. Morejon has been one of the best setup men in baseball, but his age, production and the current free-agent landscape could push him into closer or starter money.
That’s where Vesia comes in. He’d give the Padres another left-handed option to help replace Morejon’s production, and he’d do it on a much smaller deal.
In Other News...
Adrian Morejon Could Force A Tough Padres Pitching Decision
Adrian Morejon has become one of the more interesting names in the Padres pitching picture, not because San Diego is looking to move him, but because other teams are reportedly viewing him as a possible starter. The left-hander has been effective in relief, working to a 2.83 ERA with a strikeout-heavy profile, and his stuff has only made the idea of stretching him out more appealing to outside evaluators.
Morejon, though, prefers to stay in the bullpen, and that stance matters for a pitcher who has already gone through Tommy John surgery. His arsenal could translate to a rotation role, but the bigger question is whether his velocity would hold up over longer outings, which leaves the Padres with a tricky decision if the interest around him keeps building. [Read more 🡒]
Padres Face A Spending Squeeze That Could Change Preller's Plans
Major League Baseballs labor talks are starting to loom over roster planning in a real way, and the Padres are right in the middle of it. With the current collective bargaining agreement set to expire on Nov. 30, negotiations are ongoing while owners and the MLB Players Association remain far apart on the idea of a salary cap and floor system that could begin in 2028.
For San Diego, the stakes are obvious. The proposed system would force some clubs, including the Padres, to trim spending, while the players have already rejected the concept. However the talks shake out, the result is likely to shape how aggressively A.J. Preller can build the roster and how much financial flexibility the club will have in the years ahead. [Read more 🡒]
Padres Face Pitching Pressure As One Offseason Decision Looms
The Padres have already started trimming the edges of their roster-building plans, officially releasing an 18-year-old pitcher from the Dominican Republic and a 19-year-old outfielder from Venezuela. It is a small move on the surface, but it comes at a time when San Diego is under real pressure to sort out its pitching picture for next season, with the front office still weighing bigger decisions as the offseason begins to take shape.
Adrian Morejon is one of the more interesting names in that mix. The pending free agent has said he wants to stay with the Padres, even with other teams showing interest, and he made those intentions clear after San Diego was eliminated from the playoffs. Meanwhile, the club has reportedly shown interest in free agent starter Tarik Skubal, a sign that the Padres may be prepared to look outside the organization as they try to stabilize a staff that could change in a hurry. [Read more 🡒]