The Padres enter the offseason with a clear problem to solve, and it starts on the mound. San Diego has spent three straight years stuck in the 90-win range, only to watch each season end early in the playoffs. Since reaching the National League Championship Series in 2022, the club still hasn’t gotten back to the NL pennant stage.
That makes this winter a big one, especially with starting pitching sitting near the top of the to-do list. San Diego’s rotation was short on length in 2026, logging the fourth-fewest innings in MLB while posting a 4.42 ERA.
Michael King was the workhorse, leading the staff with 185 innings and standing out as the team’s most dependable arm. Nick Pivetta, on the other hand, could not stay on the field.
When healthy, Pivetta was effective. The problem was availability. The 33-year-old’s 2026 season was derailed by injuries and ended early, leaving his status for 2027 in question.
Even with the health concerns, there may still be a strong market for him. Jon Heyman of the New York Post projects Pivetta to land a three-year, $36 million deal in free agency. That comes after the Padres declined his $14 million team option, a move that essentially passed on what had been a two-year, $32 million contract for the right-hander.
Pivetta is now a free agent, with his player option for 2027 having converted into a team option after he spent nearly five months on the injured list because of a right elbow flexor strain.
In the innings he did pitch, Pivetta gave San Diego quality work. He went 3-2 with a 2.86 ERA, a 1.01 WHIP and 42 strikeouts in 34.2 innings. He also made two playoff appearances, allowing three earned runs over 7.2 innings for a 3.52 ERA.
His first season with the Padres in 2025 was even stronger. Pivetta finished sixth in NL Cy Young voting after going 31 starts and 181.2 innings with a 2.87 ERA, a career-high 190 strikeouts and a 0.98 WHIP.
For all the production he’s shown when healthy, the elbow issue hangs over everything now as the Padres weigh their next move.
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Padres Could Lose A Key Arm In A Brutal Offseason Twist
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Morejons situation is the one to watch most closely because he has already received a qualifying offer, a sign the Padres want him back even as the expectation is that he will decline it. Some insiders believe he could land a significant multi-year deal, with the Dodgers mentioned as a possible destination, which would make his departure sting even more for a division rival that knows exactly what kind of arm it would be getting. [Read more 🡒]