The San Diego Padres are heading into a winter that could shape the next few seasons, and the pitching staff sits right at the center of it.
That urgency comes from what happened in 2026. The Padres’ starters threw the fourth-fewest innings in MLB, and by October the bullpen was carrying too much of the load.
Fixing that isn’t a small job, especially with so many free agents in play. For president of baseball operations AJ Preller, it looks less like a straightforward rebuild and more like a series of moves that have to be solved one after another before 2027.
One projection has the Padres making a major splash by signing Freddy Peralta. New York Mets insider John Harper sees San Diego landing the reigning ALCS MVP, a 30-year-old right-hander who began the season with the Mets before being dealt at the trade deadline to the eventual pennant-winning Tampa Bay Rays. Peralta finished the second half with a 3.25 ERA and posted a 2.95 mark across 21.1 postseason innings.
Harper tied the fit directly to San Diego’s need for pitching, writing, "... I do believe he’ll be pursued heavily," and, "the Padres desperately need more quality pitching if they’re ever going to get through the postseason and win a championship - especially if Michael King leaves as a free agent this time."
King is indeed in free agency after declining his player option, and Harper projects him to land with the Mets. Adrian Morejon is also expected to move on, with the standout reliever forecasted to head to the Philadelphia Phillies in 2027 after being valued like a top closer this offseason.
The financial picture makes those outcomes easier to understand. King is projected at roughly $30 million AAV on his next contract, Peralta at about $28 million AAV, and Morejon at no less than $14 million AAV. With that kind of money on the table, keeping everyone may not be realistic for San Diego.
The Padres already have Fernando Tatis Jr., Manny Machado, Xander Bogaerts, Jake Cronenworth and Jackson Merrill under contract through the 2030 season. So if Preller makes a big move this winter, it may come with more than one notable departure attached.
In Other News...
Padres Face Tough 40-Man Calls On Prospects They Cant Risk Losing
With the Rule 5 draft still stuck in limbo until a new Collective Bargaining Agreement is in place and the lockout ends, the Padres are in a holding pattern on one of the more delicate parts of their offseason. They cannot make their Rule 5 decisions until the process gets moving again, but the clock is still ticking on a group of young players who have put themselves on the radar and may need roster protection before another club gets a chance to grab them.
Among the names in that conversation are Tucker Musgrove, Gutierrez, Jagger Haynes, Braedon Karpathios and Jake Cunningham, a mix of arms and bats that gives San Diego plenty to weigh. The Padres have to balance immediate 40-man pressure against the risk of losing a prospect who could help them down the road, and with the timing still unresolved, those calls are going to linger a while longer than usual. [Read more 🡒]
Manny Machado Just Raised One Big Padres Offseason Question
Manny Machados postseason was a reminder of just how much he can still tilt a series when the lights are brightest. After being selected to MLB.coms All-Postseason Team, he finished with a .350 average and a 1.080 OPS, production that stood out even with the Padres going home early.
For San Diego, the bigger takeaway is what that kind of showing means going forward. Machado proved he can impact games against strong competition, and the offseason conversation now turns to how the Padres can build around that level of performance rather than waste it. [Read more 🡒]
Padres May Have Found An Outfield Prospect Nobody Saw Coming
When a farm system sits at the bottom of the industry rankings, every small breakthrough tends to draw extra attention, and Alex McCoy has given the Padres one worth watching. The undrafted outfielder signed in 2024 has pushed his way into the Arizona Fall League and started showing the kind of pop that can make evaluators take a second look, including a home run that came off the bat at 116.3 mph.
For a Padres organization trying to uncover value wherever it can, McCoys rise is notable because it has not come from the usual prospect pipeline. His work in Double-A and now the AFL points to real offensive upside, even if the strikeout issues remain part of the conversation, and that mix of promise and risk is exactly why he has become one of the more interesting names in the system. [Read more 🡒]