SAN DIEGO -- The offseason came faster than the Padres anticipated, bounced in the Wild Card round for the first time in franchise history. And with the arrival of the offseason comes a handful of very important roster questions. Here are four of them: 1) Who’s in the 2026 rotation? Nick Pivetta emerged as a bona fide ace, turning in the best -- and most consistent -- season of his career in 2025. The Padres can already line up Pivetta as their Opening Day starter next March. But beyond Pivetta, there are major questions. Michael King and Dylan Cease are set to hit free agency. (King has a mutual option that seems likely to be declined.) The other returning rotation pieces come with question marks. The most known commodity of the group might be Randy Vásquez, who found a niche as a back-end starter in 2025. Joe Musgrove and Yu Darvish have injury concerns. JP Sears struggled. The upper level of the Padres’ farm system is barren after a flurry of trades. If Cease and King depart, the top roster priority this offseason will be finding a free-agent starting pitcher. In other words, finding the next Pivetta. |
2) What to expect from Musgrove and Darvish? It’s hard to know what to expect from the two biggest names in San Diego’s rotation in ‘26. Musgrove had been working with the goal of potentially pitching in relief later in October. In the immediate aftermath of the Padres’ postseason exit, he wasn’t sure how his plans might change. “We’ll have to re-map everything out, plan for Spring Training being my return,” Musgrove said. “There’s the possibility of throwing some winter ball in the offseason, just to see how it feels, get some live looks. But I don’t have a good idea.” Darvish, meanwhile, missed the first half of the 2025 season with right elbow inflammation, an injury he still has to manage. He’s 39, with three years left on his deal and Darvish said last week he hasn’t thought about what’s next. Darvish and Musgrove have been dominant before. The Padres probably shouldn’t pencil that into their 2026 plans. But if they can be mid-rotation contributors, that would be huge. |
3) Can the Padres tap into their power? Enough about the starting pitching. Yes, there are question marks. But under pitching coach Ruben Niebla, the Padres have generally found a way. This year was no different. They came up short because they couldn’t score. And they couldn’t score because they couldn’t tap into their power. The Padres hit 152 home runs during the 2025 season. Only the Cardinals (148) and Pirates (117) had fewer. That shouldn’t be the case for a team featuring Fernando Tatis Jr., Manny Machado and Jackson Merrill -- with other slug-capable pieces on their offense, too. The 2026 lineup will look very similar. The moves to add Ramón Laureano and Freddy Fermin at the July 31 Trade Deadline helped set the Padres up for next season. They can bring back players at every position but first base (and even Gavin Sheets could theoretically play first base). But San Diego will need to add another hitter. Luis Arraez is interested in returning as a free agent. But the lineup needs a bopper, and Arraez is not that. And on a bigger scale: Can the Padres philosophically change their approach to better tap into the raw power they already have? |
4) What’s next for the lockdown bullpen -- particularly Mason Miller? “I’ve enjoyed every second of it,” Mason Miller said of his two-plus months in San Diego after he was acquired from the A’s in a Deadline deal. “That’s the hardest part right now. You don’t get another chance tomorrow. You’ve got to wait a couple months. ... But knowing I’ve got next year and a couple years after that, it’s a good feeling.” In his first taste of postseason baseball, Miller completely dominated the stage. He’s under team control for four more seasons. So now what? Is he the closer of the future? Robert Suarez can become a free agent in a few weeks. Given the super-bullpen the Padres have built -- and their holes elsewhere -- it’s unlikely they’d pony up for Suarez in free agency. Does that mean Miller gets the ninth? Or would San Diego consider moving him to the rotation? (If so, that discussion hasn’t taken place yet, but until Miller is pitching in relief again next spring, those questions will persist.) Meanwhile, Adrian Morejon and Jeremiah Estrada are back next year. Jason Adam is lined up to return from his left quad surgery at some point around Opening Day. There are plenty of impressive depth options, including David Morgan and Bradgley Rodriguez who looked excellent in their debut seasons. As usual, the Padres’ bullpen ought to be a strength in 2026. Its composition remains to be seen. |
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