Dustin May is exactly the kind of pitcher who forces a front office to weigh upside against risk, and that’s where the Padres enter the picture.
May, now 29, is on the free-agent market this offseason after a career that has been defined as much by injuries as by his stuff. He’s projected to land a two-year deal in the $30 million range, which isn’t a massive commitment, but it still comes with real uncertainty attached. San Diego has plenty of questions in its starting rotation, and the one thing that’s clear is that upgrades are needed.
That doesn’t mean every fan will see May as the answer. His durability issues have long been the biggest obstacle in his career, and that alone could make the Padres hesitate.
But there’s also a case that the right environment could make him a worthwhile bet. He’s not a splashy signing, yet he could be productive.
May just finished his seventh season in the majors, and for only the second time in his career he topped 100 innings. Even more notable, he’s done it in back-to-back years.
Since the start of the 2025 season, he has made 54 starts. Over the five years before that, he made 34 combined.
The stuff is still there, too. May still brings velocity and pairs it with a good curveball. If San Diego were to bring him in, an offseason with pitching coach Ruben Niebla could open the door to even more.
There’s also the matter of how he handled the Padres this season. In three starts against them, covering 22 innings, he posted a 1.23 ERA with 22 strikeouts. Two of those outings came at Petco Park, where he owns a 3.07 ERA for his career over 47.2 innings.
So the profile is pretty clear: a hard-throwing starter who can work in the back of a rotation, doesn’t require a huge annual salary, and may finally be past the injury chaos that once defined him. For a Padres team that needs help on the mound, Dustin May is the kind of name worth serious consideration.
In Other News...
Padres Just Lost Another Wave Of Depth With One Familiar Name Gone
The Padres offseason depth chart took another hit this week, with a long list of minor league free agents peeling away from the organization. According to the teams transaction log on MiLB.com, San Diego has now lost 11 position players and eight pitchers from the system, a reminder of how quickly the margins can thin once the roster churn of the winter begins.
Among the names on the move is Johnson, who logged 134 MLB games for the Padres and had become one of the more familiar holdovers in the organization. The rest of the list includes players who spent the 2026 season at various minor league levels, which is the part that matters most for a club like San Diego, where every bit of upper-level depth can end up relevant before long. [Read more 🡒]
Padres Prospect Kannon Kemp Suddenly Faces A Tough Development Question
Kannon Kemps Arizona Fall League stint has become a useful snapshot of where the Padres prospect stands after injuries cost him significant development time. The right-hander still shows the kind of velocity and pitch mix that made him an intriguing arm in the system, but the command issues have been hard to ignore, and the overall quality of his pitches has not matched the expectations that followed him into the fall.
For San Diego, that leaves Kemp in a familiar but tricky spot for a young pitcher trying to get back on track. The raw stuff is still there, which is why he remains worth watching, but the organization now has to sort through what comes next and whether his next step should be more refinement or a different level of competition altogether. [Read more 🡒]
Tatis Just Gave Padres Fans A New Debate About His Value
Fernando Tatis Jr. has given Padres fans another reason to argue about just how valuable he really is, and this one comes with hardware attached. The star was nominated for the 2026 National League Silver Slugger Award at two positions, outfield and utility, a reflection of how much his game has stretched beyond the usual box score label. He spent 53 games at second base and handled the spot with a .979 fielding percentage, while still producing at the plate with a .289 average, 25 home runs and 83 RBIs.
The unusual split only adds to the intrigue, because Tatis is now up against a deep field of contenders at both spots and could put himself in Padres record territory if he comes away with one or both awards. For a player whose value has always sparked debate, the nomination underscores how much his versatility has mattered to San Diego this season. The only question left is whether the voters will reward him in one role, both, or leave the Padres waiting to see how the final tally shakes out. [Read more 🡒]