The Padres’ offseason picture is already taking shape, and it could look a lot different by the time 2027 rolls around. San Diego has a stack of free agents to sort through, and a few of the biggest names on that list are drawing plenty of attention.
Ty France is one of the players fans would most like to see stay put. After putting together a career year at the plate just months after he had considered retirement, the first baseman is now staring at free agency with real leverage. France said he understands how the market works and is ready to hear from more than one club.
“I’m coming off a good year, and it’s hopefully going to be my first good free agency as a player,” France told The Athletic. “I’m open to hearing everybody out.”
Nick Pivetta is another Padres free agent worth watching, even if his path to the open market came as a bit of a surprise. San Diego passed on a club option that would have kept him on a team-friendly deal, and now the right-hander is set to test free agency. Any team interested in him will also have to weigh the fact that he missed nearly five months in 2026 because of a flexor tendon strain in his elbow.
Then there’s Adrian Morejon, who may be the most important name of all in San Diego’s free-agent class. The lefty just turned in another excellent season, posting a 2.83 ERA over 86 innings, the most he has thrown in his eight-year career. He also received a qualifying offer worth $23.15 million for 2027, though he is expected to decline it.
MLB Trade Rumors insiders Steve Adams, Anthony Franco and Darragh McDonald all see Morejon landing a major contract, with one of them even projecting him to the Los Angeles Dodgers. Adams wrote, “There are only eight relievers in the past decade to sign free agent contracts of four or more years with annual values north of $10MM.
Morejon seems like a near-lock to be the ninth. He’s younger than Edwin Diaz was when Díaz signed for five years and $102MM, and he’s better than Tanner Scott was when he signed for four years and $72MM.
A five-year deal that pays Morejon in excess of $15MM annually is distinctly possible.”
The Padres are also facing decisions on other names, including Gavin Sheets, whose 2026 season included a .212 batting average. San Diego has until Nov. 20 to decide whether to tender him a 2027 contract, and his case goes beyond that one number. His on-base percentage barely changed, sitting at .317 in 2025.
Another possible free-agent fit being floated for San Diego is Nick Martinez, the Rays All-Star and former Padre. The Padres have surfaced as a potential landing spot for him this winter.
As for the broader picture in the NL West, the 2026 home run leader for the division’s teams was Shohei Ohtani for the Dodgers with 30, Manny Machado for the Padres with 30, Nolan Arenado for the Diamondbacks with 30, Rafael Devers for the Giants with 37 and Hunter Goodman for the Rockies with 41.
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