The Padres used the 2026 MLB Draft to keep leaning into what they know best: chasing pitching upside and trusting their development system to sort out the details later.
Their first-round move was the familiar one, taking right-hander Coleman Borthwick out of South Walton High School in Florida. That fit the script. The more intriguing swing came two rounds later, when San Diego grabbed UNC right-hander Ryan Lynch with the No. 97 overall pick.
Lynch gives the Padres a live arm with real flexibility. He has worked both as a starter and a reliever, and he’s logged important innings in the College World Series. That kind of profile gives San Diego options, which is exactly how the organization likes it.
Chris Kemp, the Padres’ scouting director, called Lynch a “bulldog” and said he can develop into either a power starter or a reliever. That sort of label usually comes with a clear path to the majors, even if the exact role isn’t settled yet.
For some teams, that uncertainty would be a red flag. In San Diego, it looks more like a feature than a flaw.
The Padres can give Lynch a shot in the rotation and see whether the command takes another step. If it doesn’t, they can move him to the bullpen without treating it like a setback.
That fallback matters because the Padres have built a reputation for turning pitchers into weapons in relief. They don’t need every arm to become a starter for the pick to pay off.
They’ve already shown they can make this kind of bet work. Michael King came over in the Juan Soto trade after spending most of his Yankees career as a bridge reliever moving between roles. Once the Padres handed him a full-time starting job in 2024, he delivered a 2.95 ERA and 201 strikeouts over 173 2/3 innings.
Seth Lugo followed a similar path a year earlier. After years mostly in relief with the Mets, he got a chance to start in 2023, made a career-high 26 starts, threw 146 1/3 innings and posted a 3.57 ERA before landing a multiyear deal with the Royals.
Stephen Kolek belongs in that conversation too. None of that guarantees Lynch will follow the same track, but it does explain why San Diego is a natural landing spot for a pitcher like this.
The Padres have also shown they can keep producing quality bullpen pieces without relying solely on pricey free-agent fixes. Ruben Niebla has been a major part of that, helping pitchers sharpen their plans, improve sequencing and attack hitters with more clarity.
So Lynch doesn’t arrive as some high-risk lottery ticket that needs everything to break just right. He looks more like a clean fit.
San Diego can try to build him into a power starter. If that path stalls, the bullpen is waiting - and for this organization, that’s hardly a consolation prize.
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