The San Diego Padres have enough on their offseason plate already, and the biggest question might be the one sitting at the front of the rotation. Mason Miller is set.
Adrian Morejon, the club’s No. 2 reliever, is headed toward free agency. But the real pressure point could be the starting staff, where Michael King is likely to opt out and test free agency, and several others are also on track to reach the open market.
That reality has made the idea of adding a starter this winter feel less like a luxury and more like a necessity. And in Bleacher Report’s Kerry Miller’s latest “bold prediction,” the Padres came out as the team to beat for Tarik Skubal.
“NL West: San Diego Padres win Tarik Skubal sweepstakes,” Miller predicts.
It’s labeled bold, but the fit is easy to see. Skubal has been connected plenty to the New York Mets, the Los Angeles Dodgers, and even a possible return to the Detroit Tigers. Still, San Diego belongs in that conversation as a legitimate landing spot for the left-handed Cy Young winner.
The money would be real, and there’s no getting around that. Skubal is expected to chase top dollar, and a deal could climb well north of $300 million over an extended term. But the Padres may be in a position to make a splash, especially with a new ownership group looking for a way to make an immediate impression on the fan base.
That kind of move can change the tone around an organization fast, and it would not be out of character for A.J. Preller, who has never shied away from a surprise. Pair that aggressiveness with the obvious need in the rotation, and the case for San Diego gets stronger.
If the Padres want to signal that they believe they can contend for a World Series over the next few years, going after Skubal would be exactly the kind of swing that fits.
In Other News...
Padres May Have Found A Late-Round Bat Worth Watching Fast
Joe Tirolys first pro summer gave the Padres an early reminder that draft value does not always show up where the rankings say it should. The seventh-round pick made a strong debut with Single-A Lake Elsinore, hitting .321 with seven home runs and five doubles in 22 games, production that helped him stand out in a system that already had plenty of attention on its higher-profile names.
MLB Pipeline went a step further and named Tiroly the top-performing player from San Diegos 2026 draft class, a notable nod for someone who did not enter the year among the organizations top 30 prospects. He also played a key role in Lake Elsinores California League championship, and with that kind of offensive start, he has quickly become one of the more interesting late-round bats in the Padres pipeline. [Read more 🡒]
Padres Core Already Faces An Uncomfortable 2027 Reality
A lot can change between now and then, but the Padres are already staring at a 2027 picture that could look very different from the one they have now. Several key pieces are tied to contracts that will force decisions down the road, with Michael King and Yuki Matsui holding opt-out clauses that could send the conversation in a new direction entirely. Around them, the roster has plenty of names that still matter to the present, even if their long-term place in San Diego is anything but settled.
Jake Cronenworth, Xander Bogaerts, JP Sears, Bryan Hoeing and Luis Campusano are all part of that broader uncertainty, with performance, health and team needs likely to shape what comes next. For the Padres, the challenge is not just keeping the current group productive, but figuring out which pieces still fit when 2027 arrives and the front office has to make some uncomfortable calls. [Read more 🡒]
Padres Face Real Pressure To Spend Before The System Runs Dry
The Padres have spent the last few years leaning on their farm system to help keep the major league roster afloat, but that pipeline is starting to look thinner by the season. Beyond top prospect Ethan Salas, there are not many young players projected to arrive as everyday contributors by 2027, which makes the organizations ability to add talent on the open market feel less like a luxury and more like a necessity.
San Diego has already shown a willingness to move prospects in past trades, and that kind of roster-building only works if ownership is willing to keep supplying financial flexibility. The challenge now is finding the right balance between developing what is left in the system and giving the front office enough spending room to plug holes before the well runs dry. [Read more 🡒]