Brandon Glick

The Padres were dealt some good news and bad news this week, as their face of the franchise, Fernando Tatis Jr., has some new hardware to show off, while their elder statesman, Yu Darvish, is set to miss the 2026 season following elbow surgery. View full video

There's been a lot of discourse surrounding Yu Darvish following his late-season struggles. Now, those conversations can be put to rest. The Japanese veteran reportedly underwent successful Ulnar Collateral Ligament repair surgery with an internal brace on his right elbow, which will force him to miss the entirety of next year. While one step short of full-blown Tommy John surgery, this is still a serious elbow repair for a pitcher with more than 1,700 innings on his arm in just the regular season, let alone the playoffs and NPB. Darvish, 39, had the worst season of his career in 2025, authoring a 5.38 ERA in 72.0 innings. He has three years and $46 million remaining on his current deal. Returning from this injury to be an effective starter at age 40 and 41 would be one of the greatest miracles in Padres history. View full rumor

Now more than one year removed from the last time he was seen on a mound in a professional baseball game, Joe Musgrove is set to be thrust right back into a high-leverage role in the San Diego Padres' rotation in 2026. The upcoming rotation problems the Padres are set to face has been well covered, and it's hard to overstate the impact the absences of Dylan Cease and Michael King would have on this team. Nick Pivetta was a godsend in 2025, but relying on a guy with a career 4.76 ERA prior to this season to be the staff ace moving forward feels like an iffy proposition at best. Yu Darvish is getting older and simply isn't the same pitcher who annually received Cy Young Award votes. JP Sears and Randy Vazquez should, in theory, be fine to cover the back of the rotation, but on a deeper team, they'd be depth options in the bullpen or minor leagues. It's true that the team could always swing another trade to fill that No. 1 or 2 spot atop the starting pitching staff, but after decimating the farm system for Mason Miller and others at the trade deadline, it's dubious to expect even A.J. Preller to be able to pull off another league-shifting blockbuster. Maybe Miller or Adrian Morejon moves into the rotation, or maybe the team finds the money to keep one (or both) of Cease or King. There's roads out of this predicament, however unlikely they may be. One frustratingly sticky part of any solution to this problem, though, is the presence of Musgrove. It just feels like he has to be back to his old self for the Padres' operation to function as it should in 2026, and that's a terrifying though for anyone paying attention. That's not to say Musgrove can't return from Tommy John surgery and regain his effectiveness circa 2021-23. In those three years, the right-hander emerged as one of the most underrated pitchers in baseball, authoring a 3.05 ERA, 3.62 FIP, 25.6% strikeout rate, and 6.2% walk rate in more than 150 innings. As he got older, he started to balance a slider with waning effectiveness with a rapidly-improving fastball, and he managed to stay on top of his changing arsenal. His chase rate improved every year in our sample, from 30.9% in 2021 to 32.0% in 2022 to 35.5% in 2023. That latter figure was in the 99th percentile league-wide. The issue is that, after back-to-back years of throwing 181+ innings, Musgrove only mustered 97 1/3 in 2023. A lot of that was due to an injury to this throwing shoulder in August of that season. Then, the following year, Musgrove dealt with a never-ending elbow injury which landed him on the injured list multiple times in the regular season and eventually led to him needing TJ surgery. He pitched 99 2/3 innings in 2024, failing to crack the 100-inning barrier for the second campaign in a row. That's the reality Musgrove, who will be 33 years old on Opening Day 2026, is facing. He's never been an overpowering guy, but he was an entirely different pitcher when we last saw him in 2024 than he was during his prime. His chase rate fell all the way to 27.0% (29th percentile), and hitters were barreling him up more than ten percent of the time. His results weren't awful (3.88 ERA, 3.96 FIP), but a 4.31 expected ERA (xERA) gives the impression that he was merely average as he tried to work through his elbow troubles. Hopefully, now that his injury is cleaned up, he can resemble something closer to the version of himself that earned a five-year, $100 million extension (there's still two years remaining on that contract, by the way). For what it's worth, the veteran starter is trying to make an appearance in a winter ball league as he continues to ramp up his rehab process, but he's been noncommittal about a specific return date. Barring a huge setback, he should be ready for spring training regardless of what form the next few months take, but we won't know how effective Musgrove still is until he returns to the mound for the Padres when the games actually count. There's reason to believe Musgrove can still be a good starting pitcher in the league. He's just a few years removed from his All-Star nod in 2022, and he was a driving force in their NLCS push in the same season. But the Padres simply can't rely on a guy who hasn't thrown more than 100 innings in three years -- and didn't pitch at all last year -- to replace Cease and/or King, at least not right away. Anything Musgrove can give this franchise next year needs to be treated as gravy, not the full meal. View full article

When it comes to the state of the San Diego Padres' rotation, it's perhaps best to think of a classroom filled with insatiably curious students and a gym teacher cosplaying as a physics professor: there's lots of questions, and very few answers. Looking at the projected 2026 group, Nick Pivetta is locked in as a surefire option for whoever replaces Mike Shildt, though he's probably out of his depth as a staff ace. Then, there's Joe Musgrove, who hasn't pitched since September 2024 after needing Tommy John surgery. Yu Darvish follows him as a 39-year-old coming off the worst season of his career. Randy Vásquez and many-walks, few-strikeouts profile slots in at the No. 4 spot. And then there's a laundry list of possible options for the final rotation job, including JP Sears and his career 4.53 ERA, elite reliever Mason Miller who hasn't started a game since 2023, and... Matt Waldron and Omar Cruz? The point is that the rotation has talent and recognizable names, but facing the prospect of one or both of Dylan Cease and Michael King departing via free agency this offseason, there's a sizable gap atop the rotation where a certified ace should be. Such pitchers rarely hit the free-agent waters, and this offseason is no different. Cease, King, Framber Valdez, and Shane Bieber represent the cream of the crop, and each comes loaded with their own questions (not to mention that some will be attached to the qualifying offer). In the second tier of available starters, you'll find notable names like Ranger Suárez, Zac Gallen, Merrill Kelly, and (potentially) Jack Flaherty, though none are all that likely to usurp Pivetta as the Opening Day starter. Thus, as A.J. Preller has been wont to do during his time leading the Friars' front office, let's turn our attention to the trade market, which just so happens to come armed with three of of the best pitchers in the sport. Tarik Skubal—the soon-to-be two-time reigning AL Cy Young Award champion—of the Detroit Tigers is rumored to be available, mostly thanks to a jaw-dropping chasm between the money he seeks and the money the Tigers are offering in negotiations. Hunter Greene joins him in the rumor mill, armed with both a triple-digit fastball and three years of cheap team control, plus a $21 million option in 2029. And finally, there's Freddy Peralta, the best pitcher on the best team in baseball who is going to be traded this offseason because of reasons that will surely force a lockout in 2027 when the CBA expires. It's only natural to start with Skubal and Peralta first, as both have one year of team control remaining before reaching free agency. That's not generally the route the Padres tend to go when acquiring pitchers, but it will significantly lower the amount of prospect talent both go for, which matters after San Diego blew up its farm system at the trade deadline. Skubal really needs no introduction. He's led the American League in both ERA and FIP in each of the past two seasons, and he's struck out a combined 469 hitters over 387 1/3 innings in that span. Since the start of 2024, the southpaw's line reads as follows: 12.6 fWAR, 31-10, 2.30 ERA, 2.47 FIP, 0.91 WHIP, 31.2% strikeout rate, 4.5% walk rate, .558 OPS allowed. All five of his primary pitches generated a wOBA below .275 (besides his sinker), and he grades out in the 90th percentile or higher in just about every notable Baseball Savant metric. If the goal is to maximize World Series odds in 2026 and figure out the rest later, Skubal is the right play for the Padres, even if he'll require a metric ton of talent (to acquire) and money (to extend). Peralta isn't quite the same caliber of pitcher, but his track record is undeniable. He's thrown at least 165.0 innings in each of the past three seasons, and his ERA hasn't climbed above 4.00 since 2019. The 2025 campaign was the best of his career, as the 29-year-old recorded a 2.70 ERA in 176 2/3 innings, good for 3.6 fWAR. He's one of the best pitchers in baseball at "pitching backwards", as all three of his non-fastball offerings (changeup, curveball, slider) yielded a wOBA below .250 from opposing hitters in 2025. His postseason pedigree is also impressive, as Peralta has a 4.32 ERA and 1.02 WHIP in 33 1/3 playoff innings. He'll be cheaper in every way than Skubal, and his recent stretch of success could make him the perfect fit on an older Padres rotation. Lastly, there's Greene, who has some of the best raw stuff in the world but the most limited track record of the three options here. He's only completed 150 innings once (in 2024, when he barely eclipsed that mark), but his performance when healthy has been outrageous. Since the start of 2024, the 26-year-old has been worth 6.6 FWAR while firing off a 2.76 ERA, 3.39 FIP, and 0.98 WHIP. He's struck out 29.2% of hitters in that span, and opposing batters are hitting just .186 off of him. Thanks to a fastball that routinely touches triple digits, Greene also possesses elite chase (32.4%) and whiff rates (31.4%). Even better: The right-hander is under team control through 2028 with a scant $8.83 million AAV and has a club option worth $21 million in 2029. He'd immediately become the Padres' Opening Day starter for the remainder of the decade... but he'd also cost an obscene price. The Reds may demand a return of talent so huge that San Diego may simply find itself unable to pay it. If you're asking me, my pick, in a vacuum, would be Skubal, simply because he's the best pitcher in the sport. It's hard to justify trading for him if you can't extend him, but the Padres are an old team, and the 2027 lockout is going to freeze everything next year anyway—might as well make the most of next year with the best pitcher on the planet. I think Greene is elite, but the Reds' asking price is going to be so outrageous that he won't end up being dealt. Peralta is probably the most realistic option of the bunch, and he's certainly got the postseason experience to anchor the staff, but I don't know if he'd move the needle enough to close the gap between San Diego and the unbelievable rotation the Dodgers will field next year. In truth, all of three of these pitchers might exist beyond the Padres' purview this winter, whether for prospect or financial reasons. That's not necessarily a death knell to their 2026 chances—any of the aforementioned free agent starters (including Cease and King) would pair nicely with Pivetta atop the rotation, as would someone like Mitch Keller of the Pittsburgh Pirates, especially if there's optimism within the organization surrounding Musgrove's recovery. Still, there's something undeniably enticing about bringing in one of the best pitchers in the sport, and whenever anything enticing happens on the trade market, the Friars are never far behind. When it comes to the A.J. Preller era of the San Diego Padres, the mantra might as well be "never say never." View full article

The San Diego Padres haven't had a Gold Glove winner since 2023, when both Ha-seong Kim (UT) and Fernando Tatís Jr. (RF) when the award. That may not change in 2025, though Tatis has at least been named a finalist for the award in right field. He posted eight Outs Above Average, nine Fielding Run Value, and 15 Defensive Runs Saved in another banner campaign in the outfield. Among all qualified National League right fielders this season, those marks rank second, first, and first. The other finalists are Corbin Carroll of the Diamondbacks and Sal Frelick of the Brewers. The Padres have no other finalists for the award, which is disappointing, especially after the season that Xander Bogaerts produced at shortstop. He earned seven OAA and seven FRV in 2025, though his -4 DRS likely kept him out of the running at such a loaded position in the Senior Circuit. Gold Glove winners will be announced on Sunday, Nov. 2. View full rumor

Padres manager Mike Shildt has retired, leaving San Diego as one of eight MLB teams still searching for a manager. Can A.J. Preller find the right man to lead the team in 2026 and beyond? View full video

When the Chicago Cubs ended the San Diego Padres' season -- or, perhaps more accurately, when the Padres' offense ended the Padres' season -- many things became abundantly clear. First, the team obviously needed to supplement the offense. After scoring just five runs in three games during the NLDS, the highest priority became adding some impact bats to the lineup. Also, with Michael King and Dylan Cease set to both hit free agency, general manager A.J. Preller would have to reconfigure the budget to keep at least one, if not both, of his aces. Now, you can add another item to the top of the offseason agenda. Manager Mike Shildt announced his retirement on Oct. 13, creating a massive vacancy on the coaching staff. Speaking to the San Diego Union-Tribune about the decision, Shildt revealed that after 34 years of coaching and managing baseball, he's ready to step back and focus on other endeavors. "I gave every fiber of my being to help achieve Peter Seidler's vision of bringing a World Series Championship to San Diego. We fell short of the ultimate goal, but I am proud of what the players, staff and organization were able to accomplish the last two seasons," the now-former manager said. Shildt was hired after the team dismissed Bob Melvin following the 2023 campaign. He won 90+ games in each of his four full seasons as manager between the Padres and St. Louis Cardinals. He earned the 2019 NL Manager of the Year Award for his efforts, the same year in which he advanced to the NLCS for the only time in his career. The Padres, who have made the playoffs four times in the past six seasons, won 90+ games in back-to-back seasons for the first time in franchise history under Shildt's watch. It was also the first time since 2010 that the franchise eclipsed 90 wins at all. Considering that this was after they traded Juan Soto to the New York Yankees, it's hard to say Shildt didn't live up to expectations in the regular season, even if the Friars still haven't won a division title since 2006. Of course, given the era of competitiveness the Padres find themselves in, anything short of a World Series appearance feels like a failure right now. And in Shildt's two years at the helm, San Diego won just five playoff games, falling short of advancing beyond the NLDS. Since the team fired Bud Black in the middle of the 2015 season, they've gone through seven managers (including interims), only one of whom (Bob Melvin in 2022) even got as far as the NLCS. For all the brilliant minds that have ran the dugout in San Diego over the past decade, none of have been able to last longer than Andy Green's four-year tenure. This has simply been a pain point for the Padres under A.J. Preller, and one that the team absolutely has to resolve this offseason if they want to keep the window of contention pried open a little longer. San Diego is now one of eight teams searching for a manager, along with the Orioles, Twins, Nationals, Rockies, Braves, Giants, and Angels. The Texas Rangers have already hired Skip Schumaker to fill their vacancy, and the Pittsburgh Pirates retained interim manager Don Kelly on a new contract. In terms of immediate championship aspirations and MLB talent, it's hard not to consider the Padres as the best of the bunch, especially with Preller's signature aggressiveness sure to make multiple splashes over the winter. Of course, managing for Preller means an expectation of immediate results, which could scare off candidates looking to grow and develop with a new crop of players. Likewise, the Braves, Orioles, and Giants all have talented rosters that could experience quick turnarounds with the right manager, so the Friars will have competition for their preferred candidate(s). Regardless of who they tab as their next lead coach, he'll have the weight of a franchise on his shoulders. The Padres have an aging core on both sides of the ball, and looming payroll and 2027 lockout fears could push the team into an uncomfortable state of limbo sooner rather than later. Expect San Diego to target a manager with experience, and preferably one with a World Series ring on his finger. View full article

For the first time since 2006, the San Diego Padres failed win a playoff series in a year in which they made the postseason. That doesn't mean general manager A.J. Preller is going to blow things up, but after the team pushed a lot of chips into the center of the table at the trade deadline, the franchise is going to have to make a lot of tough decisions this offseason. They've got a quintet of key free agents to negotiate with, including Dylan Cease and Luis Arraez. Their option decisions similarly feature key figures on both sides of the ball: Michael King and Ramón Laureano. King has a mutual option, as does catcher Elias Díaz. Meanwhile, Laureano and pitcher Kyle Hart both have club options for 2026, and reliever Wandy Peralta has a player option. There's going to be legitimate conversations from the Padres' side of things regarding each player, and whether or not there's room in the budget (and on the roster) for each guy. Let's take a look at each individual option decision the Padres are facing this offseason and try to gauge what the team may do. Note: Closer Robert Suarez has an early termination option in his contract, though we'll cover that in depth in a separate article. Michael King (Mutual Option) Mutual options are almost never exercised by both sides, and the same will likely be true for King. Despite missing a large chunk of the season with separate knee and shoulder injuries, he was still very effective in 2025, recording a 3.44 ERA and 4.42 FIP in 15 starts (73 1/3 innings). His strikeout rate dipped a bit from his excellent 2024 season, but he's been so good since the Padres converted him to a full-time starter (3.10 ERA in 247 innings) that it's not hard to imagine a world in which someone offers the 30-year-old a nine-figure deal. His mutual option is worth $15 million, which is hardly a number worthy of a starting pitcher with King's recent track record. At the very least, if he declines his end of it, King is a lock to receive a qualifying offer worth $22 million. It's worth keeping in mind the Padres already have $56.5 million in 2026 salary tied up in Joe Musgrove, Yu Darvish, and Nick Pivetta, meaning the team may be forced to choose between King and Cease this winter. Expect the Padres to pick up their end of this option, and for King to swiftly decline it in response. Ramón Laureano (Club Option) This is the easiest decision here. Laureano has been an above-average bat since breaking into the big leagues, and he was brilliant in 2025 between the Baltimore Orioles and Padres. After arriving in San Diego after the trade deadline (alongside Ryan O'Hearn), Laureano put on an offensive clinic, slashing .269/.323/.445 with nine home runs, good for a 127 wRC+. That was actually a 17-point drop-off from his work with the Orioles, highlight just how effective the outfielder was at the plate in 2025. Now 31 years old, Laureano's club option is worth just $6.5 million for 2026. His right-handed power is absolutely essential for this lineup, as he joins Manny Machado, Fernando Tatis Jr., and Xander Bogaerts as high-quality hitters that can offset the parade of lefties Mike Shildt can throw at opponents. His defense has fallen off in recent years, but he should be penciled in as next year's starter in left field until further notice. Wandy Peralta (Player Option) A key piece of the bullpen over the past two seasons, Peralta was near the peak of his powers in 2025. He logged a 3.14 ERA and 3.62 FIP over 71 appearances (71 2/3 innings), settling nicely into his role as a middle reliever among the Friars' loaded relief corps. Depending on what happens with Suarez, as well as the health of Jason Adam, Peralta might either be deemed superfluous by the Padres, or an absolute necessity for next year's bullpen. Peralta's four-year contract actually includes player options after each season, and next year's is worth $4.45 million. The 34-year-old can probably do better than the two years and $8.9 million remaining on his deal, so even if he wants to stay in San Diego, he'd be foolish not to test the open market to try and coax a few more dollars out of the organization. Elias Díaz (Mutual Option) Diaz was tabbed as the starting catcher heading into the season after impressing in his cup of coffee with the Padres in 2024, though he completely fell apart at the plate. He struck out a whopping 26.1% of the time, a damning indictment of a player who builds his plate approach around smart swing decisions. His .204/.270/.337 (74 wRC+) wasn't unplayable for a backstop (especially compared to Martín Maldonado's 61 wRC+), but it was clear the team had to upgrade on their catching tandem, and they did so by acquiring Freddy Fermin at the trade deadline. Fermin, 30, has four years of team control remaining via arbitration. He'll be cheaper and younger than Diaz next year, whose mutual option is worth $7 million for 2026. Assuming the Padres have enough confidence in Luis Campusano's ability to be a backup catcher, expect them to decline Diaz's mutual option and let the 2023 All-Star seek employment elsewhere. Kyle Hart (Club Option) For the first time since 2020, Hart pitched major league innings in 2025, authoring a 5.86 ERA and 5.18 FIP in 43.0 innings. He made 20 appearances, six of which were starts. The left-hander's peripherals were better than his actual results, as his 3.54 xERA and 7.3% walk rate suggest that there's more untapped potential in his arm. However, he'll turn 33 in November, and his lack of major league success is concerning. Hart has only pitched 54 innings in his big league career, though he does have an abundance of starting experience overseas, as well as 129 career starts in the minor leagues. His $5 million option might be a bit too rich for the Padres' blood after he was thoroughly mediocre in the major leagues in 2025, but he is quality pitching depth, which is always valuable. Expect the team to decline the mutual option, but don't be surprised if they try to re-sign Hart at a lower salary for next year (perhaps on a minor-league deal). View full article

Thanks to some sterling middle-infield defense (and a generous strike three call in the ninth inning), the Cubs barely outlasted the Padres in a tense Wild Card series. View full video

A high-flying act by the Padres' pitching staff completely stifled the Cubs' offense, leaving Yu Darvish and Jameson Taillon as the final defenders of their teams' respective seasons. View full video

The Chicago Cubs have put the San Diego Padres on the brink of elimination, though their pitching plans for the remainder of the series don't scream confidence. View full video

Prior to this series against the Chicago Cubs, what did we all say was the most important thing for the San Diego Padres to do? Not get beat before the bullpen cavalry could arrive. Anyone want to guess what happened today? Nick Pivetta was mostly tremendous, save for two crucial mistakes. The bullpen was as advertised, besides a wild pitch that got away from Jeremiah Estrada. And the offense... was, well, offensive. Xander Bogaerts was the only player to hit the ball with any sort of authority, as the Friars managed just one run on four hits. The lineup was utterly dismantled by Matthew Boyd and the Cubs' own elite crop of relievers. Now, the Padres are staring down an elimination game against (likely) Shota Imanaga in Game 2, which they have to win in front of a raucous, hostile crowd just for the right to play a sudden death Game 3. Let's hope Dylan Cease brings the goods tomorrow, because otherwise, this season is about to come to a screeching halt. In the meantime, let's review the most impactful plays from the game, per WPA via Baseball Savant: 3. Top 2nd: Xander Bogaerts hits RBI double off Matthew Boyd, +12.7% Win Expectancy This was both the highlight and lowlight of the Padres' day on offense. Bogaerts fought off a few tough pitches from Boyd before finally getting a mistake pitch, and he drove in Jackson Merrill (who hit a bloop double of his own) by smoking a line drive into the gap. It put San Diego ahead 1-0, and Bogaerts advanced to third on a throwing error from the usually-infallible Pete Crow-Armstrong. That's when any semblance of offense died. Bogaerts was stranded at third, as the lineup produced a hard groundout (which required a nice play by Dansby Swanson), a pop out, and another groundout to end the threat. The Padres wouldn't score again, notching just two more hits in the contest. 2. Bottom 5th: Carson Kelly hits solo home run off Nick Pivetta, -14.8% Win Expectancy This was the real backbreaker, as Kelly went back-to-back with Seiya Suzuki to give the Cubs a lead they wouldn't relinquish. The funny thing is this wasn't even that bad of a pitch—Pivetta was beating the Cubs with his fastball all day prior to this at-bat. Unfortunately, he threw it one too many times, and Kelly lifted the ball just high enough to hit it out through the swirling Wrigley Field win. Though it didn't end up mattering in the final score, Nico Hoerner's sac fly in the eighth inning was also a killer (even though it only added 1.9% win expectancy to the Cubs' bottom line), as it was clear the Padres weren't scoring multiple runs in the ninth inning. 1. Bottom 5th: Seiya Suzuki hits solo home run off Nick Pivetta, -15.8% Win Expectancy No surprises here. Pivetta looked unbeatable until Suzuki came up to the plate for the second time, laying off a few bad pitches up in the zone before finally getting a mistake pitch down the heart of the plate. This gave the Cubs all the momentum they needed behind a wild home crowd, as Kelly would hit his game-winning shot just moments later. Suzuki was on fire prior to the playoffs, homering in his last four games of the regular season, and its frustrating that Pivetta let the hottest hitter on the team beat him. Next up: The Padres will play Game 2 against the Cubs at Wrigley Field tomorrow, Oct. 1. They must win the next two games or they will be eliminated from the playoffs. View full article