A.J. Preller has a lot of work ahead of him, and the Padres’ rotation is where it all comes into focus.
Preller called the group a “blank canvas,” but the picture right now looks a lot closer to unfinished than inspiring. Randy Vásquez is the only clear holdover for San Diego’s 2026 rotation. Michael King opted out, the Padres turned down Nick Pivetta’s club option, and Walker Buehler, Robbie Ray, Casey Mize, Lucas Giolito and Griffin Canning all hit free agency.
King, Pivetta and Buehler have all said they’d like to come back, but until there’s a contract in place, they’re still just names on the board.
That’s where Preller comes in. He has always been the one making the baseball calls in San Diego, but now the pressure is concentrated in a way it hasn’t been before. So many of the important rotation decisions are still unresolved, and each one will trace right back to him.
An open spot in a rotation is only useful if it gets filled with someone dependable. Preller could land a front-line starter.
He could also find another under-the-radar arm and let pitching coach Ruben Niebla work his usual magic. Or he could end up with a roster that looks flexible on paper and thin in reality.
The Padres have too many openings to simply hope the answers appear.
There are more questions than just the free agents, too. Musgrove came back from Tommy John surgery during the postseason, but his role is still unclear.
Yu Darvish’s future hasn’t been settled. JP Sears and Jhony Brito spent most of 2026 in the minors, and Luis Gutierrez has not pitched in the majors yet.
Vásquez gives them one real piece, but he can’t be asked to carry the whole thing just because he’s the last established starter left.
There is reason to think the Padres can patch this together. Preller and Niebla have earned some credit for finding arms who can take a step forward in San Diego.
One bounce-back candidate is a smart bet. Four would be too many.
Bringing back King would go a long way. So would re-signing Pivetta.
But even one big addition would still leave work to do, because this is bigger than a single fix. It’s a rebuild of the rotation, whether the Padres want to call it that or not.
And that kind of challenge fits Preller. He has built his reputation on being aggressive, inventive and willing to make the move other teams won’t. This is the sort of puzzle he tends to embrace.
The Padres are not rebuilding. Their core is supposed to be in the mix in the National League West.
Every year they spend filling obvious holes is another year from that window. Preller used the word “blank canvas” because he sees possibility.
That part is easy to understand.
By the time the Padres get to Peoria, the rotation should reveal how serious the organization really is about chasing a championship in 2027.
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Padres Prospects Offered A Needed Sign For This Thin Farm System
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Kemp showed the kind of arm strength that can stand out in this setting, while McCoy had a mixed night that included both a single and a double play. DeCriscio, meanwhile, delivered one of the games cleaner details with a key squeeze bunt for the National League side in its 7-4 win, the sort of small-ball play that can still matter when prospects are trying to make a name for themselves. [Read more 🡒]
Padres Are Chasing A Rotation Move Dodgers Fans Can't Ignore
The Padres are heading into the offseason with their rotation squarely in focus, and Tarik Skubal has emerged as one of the most intriguing names on their board. San Diego has made clear it wants to rebuild the pitching staff, and president of baseball operations AJ Preller has already framed the winter as both a challenge and an opportunity to reshape the group through free agency, trades and internal development.
Skubal is projected to land a record-breaking deal, which tells you how high the bar is for any team hoping to get involved. For the Padres, the interest underscores just how aggressively they may need to chase top-end pitching if they want to close the gap in the division, and it sets up a winter where their rotation plans could become one of the biggest storylines in the league. [Read more 🡒]
Padres Fans Can See Where This Michael King Debate Is Headed
Michael Kings decision to opt out of his Padres contract has put San Diego right back in the middle of a market that suddenly looks a lot more expensive than it did a few weeks ago. The right-hander is one of the more intriguing free-agent pitchers available, and the early projections from The Athletic and ESPN point to a deal in the neighborhood of three years and roughly $78 million to $79.5 million.
For Padres fans, the concern is not just whether King is worth that kind of commitment, but whether another club with a clear rotation need and room to spend decides to jump in first. The Cardinals have been mentioned as a team weighing both their pitching needs and payroll flexibility, and if they get serious, San Diego could be staring at a familiar offseason question: how hard is it willing to push to keep a pitcher who already proved he can matter in its rotation? [Read more 🡒]