The Padres are headed into October with more than one goal in front of them.
Yes, Tuesday night’s Game 1 of the National League Wild Card Series against the Chicago Cubs is the immediate assignment. But San Diego is also carrying a pocket of contract uncertainty into the postseason, with five players on the playoff roster in the final days of their deals with the club.
Those five are reliever Jason Adam, starter Walker Buehler, first baseman Ty France, starter Michael King and starter Robby Ray. Together, they make up 36.3% of the playoff pitching staff - four of 11 arms - and 75% of the expected postseason rotation, with three of four starters set to hit free agency. France, meanwhile, has been one of the season’s biggest surprises.
All five also landed on a list from MLB.com’s Mark Feinsand of 39 impending free agents who could do the most to raise their value with a strong postseason.
“Many...impending free agents rested their respective cases with [last] weekend’s season finales, but for more than three dozen of them, there is an additional opportunity to impress potential suitors on the game’s biggest stage: the postseason,” he wrote in his intro to the piece
Adam’s résumé already gives him plenty to sell. Feinsand described him this way: “Adam has been one of the steadiest late-innings arms in the game over the past five years, posting a 2.13 ERA over 300 appearances with the Rays and Padres.”
Buehler came to San Diego in February on a one-year “prove it” deal after winning World Series titles with the Dodgers in 2020 and 2024. He gave the Padres a steady presence in a rotation that shifted around him, making 32 starts and logging 153.2 innings - his highest total since 2021. He finished 9-6 with a 4.63 ERA, and his October track record still stands out: a 3.04 ERA over 18 starts and 19 postseason appearances.
France’s season has been the kind that changes a player’s market in a hurry. Feinsand called his minor-league deal with San Diego in February “arguably the best deal signed last winter.”
The numbers make the case: 133 games, a .295 average, an .865 OPS, a career-high 21 home runs, 72 RBIs and 4.5 WAR. He also brings Gold Glove-caliber work at first base, backed by the award he won in 2025 for his defense with the Minnesota Twins and Toronto Blue Jays.
King may be the most interesting free-agent case of the group because of the structure of his deal. After the season, he can opt out of the final two years and $58 million on his contract.
Feinsand wrote, “A strong October could clinch that decision, while a poor showing could make him reconsider the opt-out clause. This will be King’s fourth career postseason, his third in a row with the Padres; he’s 2-0 with a 3.00 ERA in four games (two starts).”
Ray arrived in August in a trade-deadline move from the San Francisco Giants and made nine starts for San Diego, covering 43 innings. He went 3-2 with a 5.02 ERA.
His last three outings were uneven, even though he picked up wins in two of them; he allowed eight earned runs against the Giants and the Colorado Rockies. Now he’ll try to turn October into the kind of finish that helps him land one more multi-year deal as he turns 35 on Thursday.
In Other News...
Craig Counsell's Game 1 Pitching Choice Says Everything About This Series
Craig Counsells first move for the Wild Card Series was a familiar one, with Matthew Boyd getting the ball for Game 1 against the Padres. It is the kind of assignment Boyd has handled before, and it fits the way the Cubs have leaned on him in recent October runs, making him one of the more trusted names in a short series where every pitching decision carries extra weight.
For San Diego, the matchup sets up immediately around right-hander Michael King, while Counsell also made clear that Kevin Gausman will be part of the pitching mix before the series is over. The combination points to a fast-moving, heavily managed matchup in which both clubs are trying to shape the early innings to their advantage, and the rest of the rotation picture still leaves plenty for the Padres to sort through as the series opens. [Read more 🡒]
Padres Just Gave The Cubs A Wild-Card Twist To Worry About
The Padres set their 26-man roster for the upcoming wild-card series against the Cubs, and the group comes with a few wrinkles that could matter right away in October. San Diego is carrying 15 position players and 11 pitchers, and the mix suggests a club trying to maximize flexibility for a short series while making sure it has enough depth to navigate matchup-heavy innings.
Joe Musgrove is back on the roster after missing the 2025 season while recovering from Tommy John surgery, and the right-hander is expected to work out of the bullpen after last pitching in the 2024 wild-card round. The Padres also opted to carry three catchers, while adding Andujar and Sheets and leaving Sung-Mun Song, Wandy Peralta and Randy Vasquez off the list, a set of choices that gives the Cubs a little more to sort through as the series gets underway. [Read more 🡒]
Cubs Wild Card Roster Sends A Clear Message To The Padres
The Cubs have set their 26-man roster for the Wild Card Series against the Padres, and the list offers a pretty clear look at how Chicago wants to attack the matchup. With 12 pitchers included, the club leaned into pitching depth while also making room for late-season acquisition Gabriel Arias, a sign that the roster was shaped as much by fit as by pure production.
Just as notable are the names left out, with Caleb Thielbar absent and Justin Steele still on rehab. Manager Craig Counsells approach points to a roster built around defense and long-term health, which can tell you plenty about how the Cubs see the series ahead. For the Padres, it is a reminder that the opponent across from them is choosing balance and flexibility, even if it means leaving a few recognizable pieces behind. [Read more 🡒]