The Padres have moved on from Miguel Andujar, Lucas Giolito and Griffin Canning, with all three now headed for free agency after the club declined its side of their mutual options.
Andujar declined his end of an $8 million mutual option, which carries a $2.9 million buyout. Giolito’s $8 million mutual option comes with a $1.5 million buyout, while Canning’s $5 million mutual option includes a $1.8 million buyout after incentives bumped it up from an original $1.5 million figure. Mutual options almost never get picked up by both sides, so none of the decisions came as a shock.
Andujar’s situation was especially straightforward. If he had exercised his side of the option, the Padres almost certainly would have passed, so he may have simply sped up the inevitable. He spent last winter on a one-year Padres deal that guaranteed $4 million, split between $1.5 million in salary and a $2.5 million buyout.
On the field, Andujar gave San Diego 254 plate appearances and hit .259/.303/.423 with five home runs. His season was interrupted by more than two months on the injured list after a Lucas Erceg pitch fractured his right wrist. That injury ended his regular season, though he did make it back for the playoffs and went 0-for-3 with a walk in four pinch-hit appearances during San Diego’s postseason run.
The Padres mostly used him as a designated hitter in 2026, with only a few looks at the corner infield spots. He does have plenty of left field experience and has logged a handful of games in right field over his 10 MLB seasons, but his numbers against left-handed pitching were ordinary this year, dulling his reputation as a lefty-masher. Entering his age-32 season, he looks set up for another one-year deal with a modest guarantee, likely from a team looking for some platoon help and a bit of versatility.
A return to San Diego still isn’t off the table. The Padres don’t have a locked-in answer in left field and could use help at both infield and DH. The same goes for Canning and Giolito, though any reunion with either pitcher would likely be more about depth than a major rotation fix.
Canning’s year started with a one-year contract worth $2.5 million guaranteed. He ruptured his Achilles tendon in June 2025 and didn’t make his 2026 debut until May 3.
From there, he posted a 5.68 ERA with a 22.3% strikeout rate, 10.5% walk rate and 46.9% grounder rate over 88 2/3 innings, starting 11 of his 30 games. His .328 BABIP and 15.2% homer rate pushed the ERA up, while his 4.20 SIERA painted a better picture.
He also worked better out of the bullpen than in the rotation, which could help him sell himself as a swingman this winter.
Giolito’s free agency was rocky from the start last year, when he didn’t land his one-year, $3 million guarantee - $1.5 million in salary and $1.5 million in buyout - until after the middle of April. The Padres brought him up in mid-May after a buildup in the minors, but he managed only a 5.16 ERA over 29 2/3 innings before right elbow inflammation shut him down for the rest of the season.
That injury history looms large. Giolito has had two major arm surgeries, including Tommy John surgery in 2012 and a brace procedure in 2024, along with several other injured list trips for arm issues. Even if last year’s long wait in free agency was tied more to his price tag than a lack of interest, he may have to settle for a minor league deal this winter, or at best another one-year contract with a small guarantee.
In Other News...
Padres Just Sent A Clear Message About Their Pitching Plans
The Padres have already started sorting out the edges of their pitching staff for the seasons ahead, and the latest moves say a lot about how they view two familiar arms. San Diego exercised its $2.5 million club option on Kyle Hart for 2027, keeping a left-hander in the mix after a 2026 season that showed improvement even if the results were not always clean. It is the kind of decision that suggests the Padres still see value in continuity, especially with a pitching group that has to survive injuries, workload swings and constant turnover.
Yuki Matsui is also staying put for now after declining to opt out of his contract, which keeps him tied to the Padres with a $7 million player option for 2028. Since arriving in 2024, he has given the club durability and effectiveness out of the bullpen, making him one of the steadier late-inning pieces on the roster. Still, the underlying numbers hint at some possible regression, so the Padres are betting that his track record holds while they continue shaping the rest of their pitching plans. [Read more 🡒]
Padres Quietly Get Bullpen Help At A Time They Needed It Most
Wandy Peralta is sticking around in San Diego, and the timing matters for a Padres club that has leaned heavily on its relief corps. The left-hander has exercised his $4.45 million player option to remain with the team for the 2027 season, giving the bullpen another experienced arm and extending a run of continuity that has quietly become part of the Padres late-game identity.
Peralta has now chosen to stay with San Diego in each of the past three offseasons, a sign the fit has worked for both sides. With the bullpen still a central piece of how the Padres want to win, keeping a dependable lefty in the mix helps stabilize a group that can never have too much depth, especially when the season starts to test the back end of the staff. [Read more 🡒]
Padres Just Locked In One Bullpen Piece Amid Bigger Offseason Questions
Wandy Peralta has taken one offseason decision off the Padres board, opting in to his $4.45 million player option for the 2027 season and ensuring he will remain part of San Diegos bullpen plans for at least one more year. The left-hander has been a steady piece for the club since signing before the 2024 season, giving the Padres a reliable option in late-game matchups and a familiar arm they have leaned on across multiple seasons.
For a team still sorting through bigger winter questions, Peraltas choice offers a little continuity in a bullpen that has mattered so much to San Diegos recent success. He has appeared in multiple games each year with the Padres and has kept his ERA in solid shape, which makes his return a useful bit of stability even as the front office continues to weigh the rest of the roster picture. [Read more 🡒]