The Padres spent 2026 trying to patch a rotation problem with bullpen smoke and mirrors, and the bill eventually came due in October.
San Diego’s relief corps carried a brutal workload all year, logging 752.2 innings - the fourth-most in MLB. That kind of strain can only last so long, and the postseason showed the wear.
Now the front office is staring at a rotation reset, with seven of the 17 potential free agents on the roster coming from the starting staff. That makes this offseason less about tinkering and more about rebuilding the group the right way.
There’s a clear name at the top of the board: Freddy Peralta.
Peralta’s path to free agency has been a winding one. After eight seasons with the Milwaukee Brewers, the two-time All-Star was traded to the New York Mets before the 2026 season. He then struggled through 22 starts with a 4.99 ERA before getting moved again, this time to the American League powerhouse.
Once he landed with the Rays, the results sharpened fast. In 10 starts for Tampa Bay, Peralta posted a 3.25 ERA. Then he turned into a nightmare in October.
Across 16.2 innings in three postseason starts, Peralta has allowed just a 1.08 ERA. The Rays won every game he started, plus his relief outing in Game 4 of the ALCS, when he worked on three days’ rest and then came back two days later to throw 5.1 innings.
That stretch earned him ALCS MVP honors and only made his price tag climb.
The Padres already have more than $100 million per season tied up through 2031 in Manny Machado, Xander Bogaerts, Fernando Tatis Jr., Jake Cronenworth and Jackson Merrill, so a move for Peralta would be expensive. Spotrac projects him to land about $28.7 million per season, with his market value pointing toward a seven-year, $201.1 million deal.
Even so, the fit is obvious. Add Peralta to a rotation with a healthy Nick Pivetta and Joe Musgrove, maybe a reworked deal for King, and the Padres suddenly look a lot sturdier from top to bottom. Keep the bullpen nucleus intact, too, and next October could look very different from 2026.
In Other News...
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
Joe Tiroly arrived in the Padres system as a seventh-round pick, and his first taste of pro ball at Single-A Lake Elsinore gave the organization something it can always use more of: a bat that showed up quickly. In his first 22 professional games, the college transfer from Rider to Virginia produced seven home runs, then kept hitting all the way through a season that ended with a .321 batting average, 27 hits and a California League title for Lake Elsinore.
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 Fans Will Recognize Plenty Of Names In This World Series
When the Brewers and Rays meet on the sports biggest stage, San Diego followers will have no trouble spotting familiar faces. Both rosters are dotted with former Padres major leaguers and prospects, a reminder of how much turnover can flow through an organization and still leave its fingerprints elsewhere in October.
Nick Martinez, Gary Snchez and Jorge Mateo all reached the majors with San Diego, while Jake Bauers, Trevor Megill, Robert Gasser and Brandon Lockridge also spent time in the Padres system before finding their way to this World Series. Each has carved out a different role with his current club this season and into the postseason, giving Padres fans a reason to follow the matchup a little closer even if their own team is out of it. [Read more 🡒]