The Padres’ biggest offseason lesson is staring them right in the face: you can’t keep asking the bullpen to save a rotation built on bargains, patchwork, and hope.
San Diego’s relief corps did its job for most of the year. The group finished with a 3.31 ERA, fifth-best in MLB, over 647.2 combined innings.
But the other side of the pitching staff was a different story, with the rotation averaging just 4.7 innings per start, the fourth-fewest in the league. By the time October arrived, the bullpen had been bent so far that it finally started to crack.
That kind of wear and tear was the cost of trying to assemble a rotation on the cheap last offseason, and it’s a mistake the Padres cannot repeat.
The club rolled the dice on a handful of low-cost additions, but the return never matched the need of a contending team. German Marquez arrived for $1.75 million, bringing the kind of experience that comes with years in Colorado, but the results never stabilized. The right-hander got through the sixth inning only once in 13 appearances and was sitting on a 5.26 ERA before San Diego released him in August.
Griffin Canning came even cheaper, signing for $1 million. He didn’t even get rolling until late, and through his first 16 outings posted a 6.65 ERA. His year did improve after a move to the bullpen in early August, when he logged a 2.91 ERA over his final 21.2 innings, but the Padres will not pick up his $5 million mutual option.
Walker Buehler, meanwhile, was a different kind of gamble. He came in on a minor league deal even though other teams had major league interest. That low-risk flier ended up producing one of the more usable arms in the group, as Buehler finished the second half with a 3.62 ERA across his final 13 starts.
The issues weren’t limited to the pitchers San Diego signed last winter. Injuries kept chopping away at the depth chart, and the hits kept coming.
Joe Musgrove was supposed to return to the rotation after recovering from Tommy John surgery in October 2024, but setbacks pushed his 2026 debut back to Game 1 of the wild-card round. He ended up making two postseason appearances, both out of the bullpen.
Nick Pivetta’s season turned into a similar detour after a career year in 2025. Right elbow complications sent him to the injured list in mid-April, and he didn’t return until September. That injury also led the Padres to make another move that wound up hurting more than helping.
Lucas Giolito made only seven starts for San Diego, never getting through the sixth inning before elbow inflammation ended his season near the end of June.
The deadline brought another attempt to fix the rotation, but Robbie Ray and Casey Mize didn’t give the Padres what they needed. Both were ineffective after the trade, and both are unlikely to be back.
If San Diego wants to keep pushing for October, the formula has to change this winter. The bullpen needs to be preserved, not put back in the same position. And that starts with rebuilding the rotation from the ground up.
In Other News...
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The latest jolt came with a three-run home run, the sort of swing that gets attention beyond a prospect report. DeCriscio has also been moving around the field, which only adds to the sense that he can help himself by staying adaptable, but the bigger question remains how his bat holds up against more advanced pitching. For a player who has already taken an unusual path just to get drafted, this fall is becoming an important test of how far that late momentum can carry him. [Read more 🡒]
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Jackson Merrill Quietly Built A Padres Breakout Fans Should Notice
Jackson Merrills 2026 season ended with the kind of across-the-board production that usually turns heads around the league, even if it took a while to fully show up. During a year in which only six players reached the 25-homer, 25-steal mark, the Padres had two of them, with Merrill joining Fernando Tatis Jr. in that club after a strong finish helped reshape how his season looked on paper.
The first half was uneven enough that Merrills overall numbers still settled closer to league average than star level, but the second half told a different story. He hit .304/.339/.569 after the break, added 16 homers and eight steals, and closed the year with 26 home runs and 27 stolen bases, a reminder that his breakout came less with a bang than with a steady climb the Padres could not ignore. [Read more 🡒]