The San Diego Padres enter the offseason with a long list of issues to sort through, and the biggest one is obvious: they need starting pitching. But that’s only the beginning of the puzzle.
AJ Cassavell of MLB.com laid out four storylines for the Padres, and the first centers on possible reunions. That group includes pitchers Michael King and Adrian Morejon, along with first baseman Ty France.
There are other names in that mix too, though the list thins out quickly. San Diego could also try to bring back Jason Adam and/or starter Walker Buehler, but the rest of the options are either negligible or expandable.
From there, everything seems to point back to the rotation. Once the Padres start answering personnel questions, the starting staff becomes the focal point, and GM A.J. Preller called it a “blank canvas.”
That canvas needs paint in November. Last offseason showed what can happen when Preller is limited by the impending sale of the team, and the results were rough. Nobody around the organization wants a repeat of that, least of all Preller and the fan base.
Cassavell’s third storyline is the market for a bat, and that remains a real question for San Diego. The market is thin both at that spot and overall, which makes things tricky if the Padres decide to move on from France, who would cost much more this time around. Preller has also been considering another route: looking at Japanese players who have had success in MLB.
The final storyline is the coaching staff, and while it’s the smallest of the four, it still matters. The Padres lost bullpen coach Ben Fritz to the Arizona Diamondbacks, where he’ll become a pitching coach, a move that makes sense because he was blocked in San Diego by Ruben Niebla.
They also lost A.J. Ellis to the New York Mets, where he’ll serve as a strategy coordinator. It’s not a seismic shakeup, but it is notable to see two staffers leave a highly successful playoff team that nearly made a surprising run to win the NLDS.
In Other News...
Padres Outfield Fix Could Trigger A Bigger Fernando Tatis Jr. Shakeup
The Padres are headed into an offseason that could reshape more than one spot on the diamond, with the front office weighing upgrades in both the outfield and the infield. One possible trade partner to keep an eye on is Philadelphia, where names such as Brandon Marsh and Trea Turner have surfaced as potential fits in the broader market discussion, giving San Diego a path to address multiple needs at once.
What makes the situation especially interesting is the ripple effect such a move could have on the rest of the roster. If the Padres land a corner outfielder, Fernando Tatis Jr. could be asked to slide to second base, a change that would alter the look of the lineup and the defensive alignment in a meaningful way. Jake Cronenworth could also become part of the equation, which means the Padres may be staring at a much bigger shakeup than a simple outfield fix. [Read more 🡒]
Padres Take A Flier On A Pitcher With Something To Prove
The Padres are taking a low-cost look at Ryan Weiss, a right-hander who has already had to navigate the churn of a difficult season and a change of scenery. Houston designated him for assignment in June after a rough stretch in the majors, but he stayed on the radar by finishing the 2026 season on a stronger note at Triple-A with Sugar Land, the kind of rebound that can keep a pitcher in the conversation even after the big league numbers have gone sideways.
Now San Diego has given Weiss a one-year deal with an option for 2028, a structure that suggests the club sees more than just a temporary arm for the depth chart. For Weiss, it is another chance to turn that late-season momentum into something more lasting, and for the Padres it is the sort of under-the-radar pitching bet that can pay off if the stuff and the results finally line up at the right time. [Read more 🡒]
Padres Interest In Shota Imanaga Comes With One Clear Concern
Shota Imanaga has surfaced as a possible free-agent fit for the Padres, and the appeal is easy to see. He gave the Cubs 174 1/3 innings in 2026 with a 3.77 ERA, giving Chicago a durable left-hander who could take the ball regularly and stabilize a rotation. For San Diego, a pitcher with that kind of track record naturally draws attention, especially with the club always looking for reliable innings without sacrificing upside.
The concern is just as obvious, though, because Imanaga also allowed a troubling number of home runs. That is where Padres pitching coach Ruben Niebla enters the conversation, since the club would likely believe he could help refine Imanagas pitch mix and make him more effective deeper into games. The fit makes sense on paper, but the question is whether San Diego thinks it can clean up the one flaw that could determine how well the rest of his game translates. [Read more 🡒]