Padres fans have a familiar viewing option in the 2026 World Series, and they don’t have to look on just one roster. The Milwaukee Brewers and Tampa Bay Rays combined to bring six players through San Diego’s organization, a mix of former big leaguers and ex-prospects who took different paths to the Fall Classic.
The group spans nearly every corner of a roster. There’s starting pitching, relief help, power, and speed.
Some of these names were brief Padres stopovers. Others were developed in the system and eventually moved on.
All of them now have a World Series role of some kind.
On the Tampa Bay side, Nick Martinez is back in a rotation groove after pitching for San Diego in 2022 and 2023 in both starting and relief roles. He went 15-6 with a 3.10 ERA and a 1.09 WHIP over 180 innings in the 2026 regular season, making 31 starts for the Rays.
Jorge Mateo also spent time in San Diego, showing up in 79 games for the Padres across 2020 and 2021 before moving on. In 2026, his season lines across Atlanta and Tampa Bay included 19 stolen bases, five home runs and a .203 average. The bat has been limited, but the speed still gives the Rays another weapon.
Milwaukee’s roster carries a heavier Padres imprint. Gary Sánchez spent part of 2023 in San Diego after arriving on a waiver claim, and he made an impact right away with 19 home runs in 72 games.
He kept doing damage for the Brewers in 2026, finishing with 12 homers, 38 RBIs and a .771 OPS. His .209 average doesn’t tell the whole story, especially with a .349 on-base percentage behind it.
Jake Bauers never played for the Padres in the majors, but he started there as a draft pick in 2013 before being traded in the Wil Myers deal the next year. That path has now brought him to the World Series with Milwaukee after a big regular season in 2026: a .266/.389/.484 line, 26 home runs, 86 RBIs and an .873 OPS. He also picked up NLCS MVP honors as the Brewers swept the Dodgers to get here.
Trevor Megill’s Padres link began with the draft too, when San Diego picked him in 2015. The Cubs later took him in the 2019 Rule 5 Draft before his major league debut. He has since become a key late-inning arm for Milwaukee, posting 30 saves with a 2.63 ERA, 69 strikeouts and a 0.89 WHIP in 61⅔ regular-season innings in 2026.
Robert Gasser also changed organizations in a trade, going from the Padres to the Brewers in the August 2022 Josh Hader deal. The left-hander put up a 3.87 ERA with 103 strikeouts in 109 1/3 innings during the regular season, then helped Milwaukee eliminate San Diego in the NLDS.
In Game 4 at Petco Park, he allowed one run over four innings in the Brewers’ 3-1 win, working out of a bases-loaded jam in the first inning. By the time the World Series arrived, he had given up just one earned run over nine postseason innings.
Brandon Lockridge rounds out the group as a postseason taxi squad piece for Milwaukee. He played 47 games for San Diego in 2025 before being traded to the Brewers in the deal that sent Nestor Cortes to the Padres. Now he’s staying prepared while the rest of the roster pushes for a title.
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Padres Take An Intriguing Flier On A 20-Year-Old Arm From Japan
The Padres added another arm to their system on October 15, agreeing to a minor league deal with 20-year-old right-hander Tatsuya Nogami and giving him a $300,000 signing bonus. It is the kind of low-risk, upside-minded move San Diego has been willing to make as it continues to hunt for pitching talent wherever it can find it.
Nogami comes to the organization without a professional track record in Japan, having pitched at Osaka Sangyo University instead. For a club that has not shied away from taking chances on younger arms, the appeal is obvious: there is time to develop him, and room to see whether his stuff can translate once he gets into the Padres' pipeline. [Read more 🡒]
Padres Prospect Radar Suddenly Has A New Name To Watch
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For a player who had already navigated a foot injury before beginning his pro career, the early return is encouraging enough to get him noticed well beyond draft value. The next question is how much of that power surge sticks as the competition gets tougher, but for now Tiroly has given the Padres a new name worth tracking in a system that is always looking for impact bats. [Read more 🡒]
Padres Rotation Reset Could Depend On One Costly October-Proven Arm
The Padres are staring at a rotation picture that could change fast, with seven starting pitchers potentially reaching free agency after the 2026 season. That kind of turnover puts pressure on the front office to think ahead, especially with so many innings and responsibilities possibly needing to be replaced at once.
Freddy Peralta has emerged as one of the more intriguing names in that conversation, a right-hander with a postseason track record that should appeal to a club looking for stability under October lights. San Diego already has enough financial commitments to make any major addition a careful decision, but a multi-year push for a pitcher of Peraltas caliber would fit the kind of rotation reset the Padres may need to pull off. [Read more 🡒]