The Padres are heading into an offseason that feels wide open, and A.J. Preller sounds like a man who likes it that way.
San Diego has plenty to sort through, but the biggest picture item is already clear: the roster is going to look different, and maybe dramatically so. AJ Cassavell of MLB.com laid out some of the possibilities, and the list is long enough to make this feel less like a tune-up and more like a full-scale reset.
The pitching staff is the center of it all. Everyone is on the table right now, including ace Michael King and Nick Pivetta, along with the departing Griffin Canning and injured Lucas Giolito.
That kind of uncertainty would usually read as a headache. Preller, though, framed it as something else entirely.
“We have a little bit of a blank canvas and have some flexibility,” he said. “I think we see that as an opportunity.”
For now, the one sure thing in the rotation picture is right-hander Randy Vasquez, who is expected to return. Beyond that, the Padres are looking at a lot of moving parts and not many firm answers.
The bullpen has its own questions, too, even with some familiar names set to stay. Yuki Matsui and Kyle Hart are both coming back, and Bradgley Rodriguez, Jeremiah Estrada and David Morgan are also in line to return, with all three potentially working their way into high-leverage spots. Rodriguez, in particular, was already handling that kind of role for much of the season.
Still, the late-inning mix is not settled. The uncertain status of Adrian Morejon and Jason Adam leaves San Diego needing another arm at the back end.
Morejon’s situation is especially notable because the move tied to him is mostly about bookkeeping, designed to ensure the Padres get a draft pick if he leaves. It’s a one-year, $23.15 million deal, and he will almost certainly turn it down.
That leaves the bigger question: how far will the Padres go to keep him? The current market comparison mentioned is Tanner Scott, whose deal runs four years and $72 million. Whether San Diego is willing to go that high will say plenty about how aggressively it wants to preserve one of its biggest strengths before the lockout.
There’s also work to do on the position-player side. Ty France is a free agent and has said he wants to return, but he’s expected to draw plenty of interest, which makes his future another open question. Even if France comes back, the Padres still need another corner bat to pair with him, and they also need a bench bat.
In Other News...
Padres Bullpen Plan Is Getting Clearer After Two Pitching Moves
The Padres bullpen picture is coming into focus with a pair of moves that say plenty about how the front office views its late-inning depth. San Diego protected a 23-year-old left-hander from the Rule 5 draft by putting him on the 40-man roster, a vote of confidence for a pitcher whose 2026 season was interrupted by injuries but whose long-term value still clearly matters to the organization.
At the same time, the club extended a qualifying offer to All-Star lefty Adrian Morejon, keeping the door open on a return even as he heads into free agency. Morejon has said he wants to be back, though he also understands the business side of the process, and the timing comes with Mason Miller earning finalist status for National League Reliever of the Year after leading the league in saves and games finished. [Read more 🡒]
Padres Lose Longtime Front Office Leader To A Rival At Worst Time
The Padres are dealing with another significant front-office shakeup, and this one stings because of both timing and destination. Caroline Perry, who had been the clubs chief operating officer since 2023 and had spent 16 seasons in the organization, is leaving for the Dodgers, where she has been hired as executive vice president and COO to replace retiring Bob Wolfe. Perry had risen through the Padres ranks from general counsel to COO, making her departure a notable loss of institutional knowledge as the organization tries to keep its business side steady.
San Diego moved quickly to fill the vacancy by promoting Chris Connolly to executive vice president, chief marketing and operations officer. The change keeps the Padres leadership structure intact on paper, but losing a longtime executive to a division rival is never a clean break, especially when the new job comes with a familiar opponent across the way. For a franchise trying to maintain momentum in every part of the operation, the optics of this one are hard to ignore. [Read more 🡒]
Yankees Just Got A Complicated New Factor In Free Agency
The qualifying-offer market is taking shape, and it has already put a familiar Padres name into the mix. Adrin Morejn is among the eight players who received the $23.15 million one-year offer, a list that also includes Randy Arozarena, Jake Bauers, David Bednar, Ryan Jeffers, Brandon Lowe, Trevor Rogers and Seiya Suzuki. For San Diego, it is another reminder that one of its own is now part of a winter process that can reshape both rosters and draft capital.
Morejns situation is especially notable because the qualifying offer is designed to give teams compensation if a player signs elsewhere, which can complicate the market for anyone attached to it. The group is a reminder of how quickly free agency can get tricky, and of how clubs have to weigh talent, cost and the draft-pick price tag that comes with letting a player walk. [Read more 🡒]