Padres' Bullpen Depth Faces Early Questions Ahead of 2026 Season
The San Diego Padres are heading into 2026 with one of the most formidable bullpens in baseball - at least on paper. The group is deep, talented, and, when healthy, capable of shutting down even the most dangerous lineups in the league. But as any seasoned fan knows, bullpen dominance is a fragile thing.
All it takes is one injury, one arm not bouncing back like expected, and suddenly that fortress of relief pitching starts to show cracks. And with Jason Adam’s return timeline looking a little murkier than hoped, the Padres could be tested sooner than they'd like.
So, if things start to unravel, who’s next in line?
Enter Francis Pena.
The 25-year-old right-hander has been invited to big league camp this spring - a chance to get some exposure alongside the veterans and show the coaching staff what he’s got. But Pena isn’t exactly a rising star anymore. He’s no longer a fresh-faced prospect with upside to spare; he’s a depth piece with a few intriguing tools, but some serious question marks as well.
Let’s be clear: Pena has potential. His slider-sinker combo is legit.
The movement on both pitches can give hitters fits when he’s locating. That’s a big reason why he was still ranked No. 20 in the Padres' system last year.
But the numbers? They tell a different story.
In 2025, Pena issued 34 walks over 52.1 innings - not ideal for a reliever whose job is to come in and throw strikes. That ballooned his WHIP to 1.605, and things didn’t exactly trend in the right direction as the season wore on. His ERA in September climbed to 9.45, a tough way to finish a year where consistency was already hard to find.
So if the Padres are calling on Pena early in 2026, it likely means something’s gone wrong. That’s not a knock on him - it’s just where things stand. He’s not quite ready to be a go-to option in a contending bullpen, and relying on him too soon could be setting him up to fail.
This is where the conversation shifts from Pena to the Padres' overall roster construction. When you’re building a team with postseason aspirations, depth matters.
You need more than just your top eight guys in the bullpen. You need contingency plans.
And right now, it feels like the Padres are a little too thin in that department.
Adding Riley Pint was a smart move - he’s got electric stuff and could be a difference-maker if he puts it all together. But beyond that, the options get murky. If Adam isn’t ready, and someone else hits the IL, the Padres may be forced to dip into a pool of arms that simply aren’t ready for the big stage.
That’s the risk with banking on everything going right. Baseball doesn’t work that way.
Over a 162-game season, things will go wrong. The question is whether you’ve built a roster that can absorb those hits and keep moving forward.
For the Padres, Spring Training will be a critical proving ground - not just for the stars, but for the guys on the fringe. Because if Francis Pena ends up being one of the first names called to San Diego this summer, it’ll say as much about the state of the bullpen as it does about his own development.
And that’s not the conversation any contender wants to be having in February.