The Padres can make a case for Foster Griffin. They can also make a case for why one signing won’t come close to finishing the job.
A projected three-year, $39 million deal would be a real commitment to a left-hander whose career got back on track after a stop in Japan. San Diego needs starting pitching, and getting in before the price climbs is exactly the kind of move a team in that spot should consider. The fit makes sense on the surface.
But Erick Fedde is the warning label.
Fedde rebuilt his career in Korea, came back to the majors with a strong 2024 season, then followed it with a 5.49 ERA in 2025. Clubs had every reason to think the breakthrough was real.
Holding onto it was the harder part. By the end of 2026, he was working as a reliever for the White Sox.
That’s why a Griffin signing can’t be treated like the end of the Padres’ rotation search. The upside is obvious, but so is the risk that a solid-looking investment turns into a problem if there’s no one ready behind him. Three guaranteed years would give San Diego plenty of time to find out whether the progress sticks.
Griffin has already done enough to earn real attention. He came back from Japan and put up a 3.06 ERA in 22 starts for Washington in 2026 before heading to Cleveland.
This isn’t some anonymous overseas flier. Big-league hitters have seen him, and he’s pitched well enough to enter this conversation.
At $13 million per year, the expectation would be straightforward: give the Padres steady innings, keep the game under control, and hold down a regular rotation spot. That’s a fair ask. It just can’t be the whole offseason plan.
San Diego still needs another established starter with Griffin, and it needs depth beyond the Opening Day five. Not spring-training lottery tickets.
Not a pile of invitations and hope. The Padres have to add more pitchers who can actually help.
Griffin should be judged on his stuff, his health and what he does on the mound. But the bigger picture matters too. A reasonable signing can become a roster headache fast when there isn’t enough pitching around it.
Three years and $39 million would stretch beyond the initial buzz of landing him. The Padres can like the annual number and still need A.J. Preller to leave room for another arm.
Griffin would make sense as part of a larger pitching push. Put him in a real rotation, keep the expectations grounded and give him support, and there’s plenty to like.
What can’t happen is pretending that one move solves everything.
In Other News...
Padres Just Lost Another Wave Of Depth With One Familiar Name Gone
The Padres offseason depth chart took another hit this week, with a long list of minor league free agents peeling away from the organization. According to the teams transaction log on MiLB.com, San Diego has now lost 11 position players and eight pitchers from the system, a reminder of how quickly the margins can thin once the roster churn of the winter begins.
Among the names on the move is Johnson, who logged 134 MLB games for the Padres and had become one of the more familiar holdovers in the organization. The rest of the list includes players who spent the 2026 season at various minor league levels, which is the part that matters most for a club like San Diego, where every bit of upper-level depth can end up relevant before long. [Read more 🡒]
Padres Prospect Kannon Kemp Suddenly Faces A Tough Development Question
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For San Diego, that leaves Kemp in a familiar but tricky spot for a young pitcher trying to get back on track. The raw stuff is still there, which is why he remains worth watching, but the organization now has to sort through what comes next and whether his next step should be more refinement or a different level of competition altogether. [Read more 🡒]
Tatis Just Gave Padres Fans A New Debate About His Value
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The unusual split only adds to the intrigue, because Tatis is now up against a deep field of contenders at both spots and could put himself in Padres record territory if he comes away with one or both awards. For a player whose value has always sparked debate, the nomination underscores how much his versatility has mattered to San Diego this season. The only question left is whether the voters will reward him in one role, both, or leave the Padres waiting to see how the final tally shakes out. [Read more 🡒]