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    Notes about the team are posted here.

    95 rumors in this category

      Steve Drumwright

      If A.J. Preller has a significant other, they might not be happy with how he has spent his Valentine's Day. However, San Diego Padres fans are at least enjoying Preller's work.

      In their third move of the day, the Friars are bringing in a second contender for the starting rotation, agreeing to a one-year deal with right-hander German Marquez, according to ESPN's Jeff Passan. Financial terms were not immediately available.

      The former Colorado Rockies ace's deal comes hours after right-hander Griffin Canning was added to the rotation competition by Preller, the Padres' president of baseball operations. Preller also cut a deal with first baseman-outfielder Nick Castellanos on Saturday.

      Like the other two, the Marquez deal is pending the pitcher passing a physical. The Padres entered Saturday with 39 players on their 40-man roster, so two corresponding moves, perhaps with injured players, will need to be made.

      He should benefit from the change of scenery from the pitcher-unfriendly Coors Field to Petco Park. Marquez had a rough 2025 in his first action since undergoing Tommy John surgery at the start of the 2024 season. He made 26 starts and posted a 5.47 FIP (6.70 ERA).

      Following a 3.28 FIP in an MLB-best 13 starts in the pandemic-shortened 2020 season, Marquez was an All-Star in 2021 and had a 3.86 FIP. In his 10-year career, all with the Rockies, he has a 7.2% walk rate and 21.8% strikeout rate.

      Steve Drumwright

      The San Diego Padres are still looking to add to their roster with spring training set to begin in just a few days, and two reports say they were in play for two free agents who agreed to deals this week.

      The first was the top pitcher on this year's free-agent market, left-hander Framber Valdez. Valdez agreed to a three-year, $115 million contract with the Detroit Tigers on Wednesday. Jon Heyman, an insider for MLB Network and the New York Post, said the Friars "showed late interest" while also mentioning the Padres first among teams who were in contention for the two-time All-Star and 2022 World Series champion with the Houston Astros. The Toronto Blue Jays, Minnesota Twins, and Baltimore Orioles were the other teams, aside from the Tigers.

      Then, following first baseman Paul Goldschmidt agreeing to a one-year deal to return to the New York Yankees on Friday, Dennis Lin of The Athletic noted that the Padres "were a finalist" for the 2022 NL MVP. Goldschmidt's salary for 2026 is expected to be less than $5 million.

      This comes on the heels of the Padres bringing in corner infielder-outfielder Miguel Andujar on a one-year, $4 million deal Thursday. Whether Andujar was Plan B after possibly being notified that Goldschmidt was going back to the Yankees, or if the Friars would have taken both, is unknown.

      There are still budget-friendly rotation options available.

      Steve Drumwright

      The Seidler family will begin to accept initial bids for a sale of the San Diego Padres by the end of February, according to a report on Feb. 5 by The Athletic.

      This comes on the heels of a settlement in a legal battle between the widow of late owner Peter Seidler and two of his brothers. Peter Seidler died in November 2023.

      Among the top candidates mentioned in the report is Joe Lacob, owner of the NBA's Golden State Warriors and WNBA's Golden State Valkyries. Lacob has previously pursued purchasing the Los Angeles Dodgers, Los Angeles Angels and the A's when they were in Oakland.

      Sportico reported Wednesday that two owners of English Premier League soccer teams have shown interest in the Padres. Dan Friedkin has ownership of Everton and AS Roma through his Pursuit Sports and Jose E. Feliciano is part of the Chelsea group through Clearlake Capital.

      The Athletic said the Padres, who were valued last year at $1.9 billion, were seeking a sale price of close to $3 billion, which would surpass the MLB record of $2.42 billion set when Steve Cohen purchased the New York Mets in 2020.

      Steve Drumwright

       

      Baseball's best closer will be away from the San Diego Padres for a few days.

      Right-hander Mason Miller was placed on the bereavement-family medical leave list Monday by the Friars, who called up left-hander Kyle Hart from Triple-A El Paso. Also, outfielder Bryce Johnson, who was designated for assignment Friday, cleared waivers and was outrighted to Triple-A.

      The Padres open a three-game road series against the St. Louis Cardinals on Monday.

      Miller is second in MLB with 19 saves in 19 chances with a 0.37 FIP (0.90 ERA) after earning a four-out save in Sunday's 5-2 victory over the Baltimore Orioles. Miller, who fanned three Sunday, has 59 strikeouts in 30 innings, has an incredible 51.8% strikeout rate.

      Hart is with the Padres for a second time this season after making the Opening Day roster. In 12 MLB appearances and 16⅔ innings this year, Hart has a 3.35 FIP (5.40 ERA) with an 8.8% walk rate and 14.7% strikeout rate. At Triple-A, Hart has pitched 14⅔ innings over 11 games for a 7.36 ERA, with nine walks and 15 strikeouts.

       

      Steve Drumwright

      As the San Diego Padres try to replenish their farm system, the Friars will have the 21st-most money in their draft bonus pool for 2026.

      MLB informed clubs of the slot values and bonus pools for this year's draft, which is July 11-12. For the Padres, whose prospect list has gone down in overall quality due to a variety of trades in recent years, that means having a bonus pool of $9,479,000. The bonus pool for each team covers the first 10 rounds. In 2025, the Friars' bonus pool was $6,569,100.

      The Padres have the No. 21 pick in the first round after having No. 25 each of the last two years, when they selected left-handed starters Kash Mayfield in 2024 and Kruz Schoolcraft in 2025. The slot value for this year's 21st pick is $4,224,700.

      The Pittsburgh Pirates have the largest bonus pool at $19,130,700, while the Los Angeles Dodgers have the smallest at $3,951,900. The Dodgers were one of four teams that had their top pick moved back 10 spots as a penalty for surpassing the second threshold in the competitive balance tax.

      The Chicago White Sox hold the No. 1 pick, with a slot value of $11,350,600, and the No. 3 bonus pool of $17,592,100. Each slot value went up 2.5% based on increased MLB revenue.

      2026 MLB Draft bonus pools

      • Pittsburgh Pirates: $19,130,700
      • Tampa Bay Rays: $19,009,300
      • Chicago White Sox: $17,592,100
      • Minnesota Twins: $16,929,600
      • St. Louis Cardinals: $16,612,300
      • Kansas City Royals: $15,954,000
      • Atlanta: $15,870,800
      • Colorado Rockies: $15,557,600
      • San Francisco Giants: $14,080,400
      • Athletics: $13,840,300
      • Houston Astros: $13,712,700
      • Arizona Diamondbacks: $13,603,100
      • Baltimore Orioles: $13,114,000
      • Cleveland Guardians: $12,573,900
      • Washington Nationals: $12,278,300
      • Miami Marlins: $11,960,100
      • Los Angeles Angels: $11,755,400
      • Cincinnati Reds: $10,758,500
      • Texas Rangers: $10,219,200
      • Chicago Cubs: $9,644,100
      • San Diego Padres: $9,479,000
      • Detroit Tigers: $9,165,100
      • Boston Red Sox: $8,219,200
      • Seattle Mariners: $8,218,200
      • Milwaukee Brewers: $8,042,900
      • Philadelphia Phillies: $7,773,000
      • New York Yankees: $7,342,800
      • New York Mets: $6,730,900
      • Toronto Blue Jays: $5,543,100
      • Los Angeles Dodgers: $3,951,900
      Steve Drumwright

      A really deep San Diego Padres bullpen just got a wee bit thinner.

      Right-hander Bryan Hoeing, a candidate to make the Opening Day roster, will miss the entire 2026 season after deciding to have surgery to repair the flexor tendon in his right arm, Kevin Acee of the San Diego Union-Tribune reported Thursday.

      This comes after the 29-year-old was limited to just seven MLB appearances and 18 in the minors in 2025 due to elbow and shoulder issues. Hoeing was shut down about two weeks ago after experiencing elbow discomfort.

      He will be put on the injured list before Opening Day and moved to the 60-day IL when the Padres need space on the 40-man roster, which currently sits at 39. Right-handed starter Yu Darvish, who is negotiating a buyout of his contract after having an internal brace procedure on his right UCL, will also need to be put on the 60-day IL.

      Typical recovery for flexor tendon surgery is nine months, meaning Hoeing should be good to go next spring training.

      Acquired from the Miami Marlins at the 2024 trade deadline, Hoeing pitched in 18 games for the Friars that season, with a 3.38 FIP (1.52 ERA), with 5.8% walk rate and 20.9% strikeout rate in 20⅔ innings.

      Hoeing will be arbitration-eligible for the first time this offseason.

      Steve Drumwright

      With about a week before rosters are announced for all World Baseball Classic teams, right fielder Fernando Tatis Jr. of the San Diego Padres was named to represent the Dominican Republic.

      Tatis was not on the DR's roster for the 2023 WBC as he was coming off a 2022 season in which he was injured and then suspended for using a performance-enhancing drug that lasted into the 2023 season.

      Padres teammate Manny Machado, the third baseman who was on the Dominican Republic's roster for the last WBC, has not yet been officially named to the team but is expected to be on the 30-player roster. 

      The Dominican Republic often has the most talented roster of any WBC team. The DR was the pre-tournament favorite in 2023, but went 2-2 in pool play and did not advance to the knockout round.

      Steve Drumwright

      While addressing the contract extension for president of baseball operations A.J. Preller on Monday, San Diego Padres owner Peter Seidler was asked about the status of the sale of the MLB team.

      "We’ve had tremendous interest,” Seidler said at the team's spring training complex in Peoria, Ariz. “There has been interest, some parties that have been reported in the press, others have not. There are more parties interested than has been reported."

      The Seidler family announced it was pursuing a sale in mid-November, but some family quarrels prevented that from truly progressing. That was resolved a couple weeks ago, with the team expecting to start receiving bids by the end of the month.

      BDT & MSD Partners, a merchant bank, is acting as the advisor to the Padres during the sale process. The Seidlers are seeking nearly $3 billion for the Padres. The record for an MLB team is Steve Cohen's $2.42 billion purchase of the New York Mets in 2020.

      Seidler said he prefers the new owner has ties to San Diego and that the process "over the next few months will come to a logical conclusion." That likely means new ownership would be up for approval late in the season or early next offseason, though the impending MLB lockout could alter that timeline.

      Regarding Preller, Seidler said it was key to keep building on the success the team has had in recent seasons.

      "What was important about getting the deal done is A,J. has been the architect of the team," Seidler said. "Without A.J.'s roster-building over the duration, we wouldn't be where we are today."

      Steve Drumwright

      The Dominican Republic's World Baseball Classic roster will include the San Diego Padres' two biggest stars.

      That came after third baseman Manny Machado was announced as part of the team. Previously, right fielder Fernando Tatis Jr. was named to the roster.

      The deadline to finalize rosters is Tuesday, with official announcements made by the WBC on Thursday.

       

      This will be Machado's third appearance in the WBC, having played in 2017 and 2023 (no tournament was held in 2020 due to the pandemic). Machado is the latest to become an official member of the team. Superstar New York Mets right fielder Juan Soto was named Sunday, and Houston Astros shortstop Jeremy Pena earlier Monday.

      The Dominican Republic typically has the strongest roster of all the WBC teams.

      Steve Drumwright

      Right-hander Matt Waldron's chances to make the San Diego Padres' Opening Day starting rotation took a major hit when he had a medical procedure to treat an infection.

      New Padres manager Craig Stammen said Waldron, who features a knuckleball, is "week-to-week" after the procedure addressed the infection in his "rear end."

      The 29-year-old spent most of 2025 at Triple-A El Paso and made just one MLB start. But with room in the rotation this spring, Waldron entered camp as one of a handful of candidates for the last two spots. He is out of minor-league options, which means he needs to make the Opening Day roster or go on the 15-day injured list to avoid being designated for assignment.

      Waldron started 26 times (in 27 appearances) in 2024, putting up a 4.26 FIP. He walked 6.4% of batters and struck out 21.3%, solid numbers. By throwing the knuck

      Steve Drumwright

       

      MLB on Monday suspended San Diego Padres right-handed reliever Ron Marinaccio three games and fined an undisclosed amount for hitting Baltimore Orioles star shortstop Gunnar Henderson with a pitch in Saturday's game.

      Marinaccio is appealing his suspension, so will remain on the active roster until that is heard.

      Padres manager Craig Stammen was also suspended one game. Managers can't appeal, so Stammen will sit out Monday's series opener against the St. Louis Cardinals. Bench coach Randy Knorr will run the team instead.

      The incident came with two outs in the bottom of the ninth inning.

      In the top of the fifth, Padres star shortstop Xander Bogaerts was hit in the left earflap of his helmet by a pitch from Orioles right-handed starter Trey Gibson. Bogaerts had to leave the game an inning later after feeling woozy. No penalty was issued to Gibson.

       

      Steve Drumwright

      While there was a lot to enjoy in a 27-6 shellacking of the Seattle Mariners in a Cactus League game Thursday, the San Diego Padres are looking for good news after infielder Song Mun Song left the game early.

      Song, who started at shortstop and homered in his first plate appearance, left after striking out in the second inning after aggravating an oblique injury sustained in the offseason, only slightly delaying his start to spring camp. Padres manager Craig Stammen said removing Song from the game was "precautionary," and the team was awaiting test results to determine the extent of the injury.

      Signed in the offseason from the Korea Baseball Organization, Song is expected to be a utility player in his first MLB season, seeing time at second base, third base, and perhaps the outfield.

      The Padres also made their second set of roster cuts, sending eight players back to minor-league camp. A ninth, right-hander Miguel Mendez, was optioned to Double-A San Antonio, making him the first player on the 40-man roster removed from camp. Right-handers Sean Boyle, Evan Fitterer, Francis Pena, and Ethan Routzahn, infielders Marcos Castanonon and Romeo Sanabria, infielder-outfielder Clay Dungan, and catcher Brendan Durfee were reassigned to the minor-league camp after being non-roster invitees.

      The Friars now have 58 players in major-league camp.

      Steve Drumwright

      As the San Diego Padres played their second game of the season on Friday, two of their players took their first steps in making their way back to the major-league roster.

      Infielder Sung Mun Song and right-handed starter Matt Waldron began rehab assignments with Triple-A El Paso following their spring training injuries. Friday marked the season opener for the Chihuahuas, who played on the road against the Sacramento River Cats. Waldron is recovering from hemorrhoid surgery, and Song from a strained right oblique.

      Waldron started and went three shutout innings, allowing two hits, walking none, and striking out three. Waldron faced 10 batters and threw 37 pitches, 25 for strikes.

      Song, who played second base, had four plate appearances, going 1-for-3 with a walk, a strikeout, and two RBIs. Hitting second in the lineup, Song drew a six-pitch walk in his first plate appearance, lined out to center in the third inning, hit a two-run single in the fifth, and struck out in the sixth before being replaced in the bottom of the eighth by Clay Dungan. In the field, Song handled four grounders, helped turn two double plays, and caught a pop-up.

      The Chihuahuas won 9-3.

      The clock has now started on Waldron and Song. Rehab assignments can last up to 30 days for pitchers and 20 days for position players.

      Steve Drumwright

       

       

      The San Diego Padres will be without their starting shortstop for the next few days.

      Xander Bogaerts was placed on the paternity list Tuesday, with the Padres calling up infielder Will Wagner from Triple-A El Paso.

      The paternity list allows a player to miss up to three days due to the birth of their child. The Padres continue their series against the Cincinnati Reds on Tuesday and Wednesday, then are off Thursday before beginning a road trip Friday against the Baltimore Orioles. It is likely Bogaerts will rejoin the team Friday.

      In 63 games, Bogaerts has a slash line of .231/.303/.356 with eight homers, 27 RBIs and nine stolen bases.

      Wagner, acquired from the Toronto Blue Jays at last year's trade deadline, has slashed .255/.381/.382 for El Paso with three homers and 12 RBIs in 30 games. The start of his season was delayed due to an oblique injury. In 79 MLB games with the Jays and Padres the last two seasons, the son of Hall of Famer Billy Wagner has a .256/.329/.346 slash line with no homers and seven RBIs.

       

      Sung-Mun Song is likely to start at shortstop with Bogaerts out.

       

       

      Steve Drumwright

      The San Diego Padres made their first roster reductions at spring training camp, reassigning three players to minor-league camp.

      One of those players is left-handed starter Jagger Haynes, who has a chance to make his MLB debut later this season. Haynes and fellow left-handers Omar Cruz and Ryan Och were non-roster invites to spring camp with no realistic chance of making the Opening Day roster. These moves leave the Friars with 67 players in big-league camp.

      Haynes, who dropped from No. 10 in the Padres' system at the end of 2025 to No. 15 in just-released rankings by MLB Pipeline, is expected to begin the season at Triple-A El Paso. A fifth-round pick in 2020, the 23-year-old has had Tommy John surgery and overcome blister and shoulder injuries in his first couple of pro seasons, but remained healthy in 2024 and 2025. At Double-A San Antonio last year, Haynes had a 4.11 ERA in 103 innings over 26 games, all but one as a starter. He needs to improve his control, having walked 5.4 batters per nine innings with San Antonio, while striking out a modest 8.8 per nine.

      Haynes appeared in three Cactus League games, pitching four innings with no walks and one strikeout.

      Cruz made his MLB debut with the Padres in 2025 with two relief appearances. Och, the Friars' seventh-round choice in 2021, spent all of last season at San Antonio, posting a 3.46 ERA in 45 games, and should be joining Haynes at El Paso for 2025.

      Steve Drumwright

      Not that the San Diego Padres needed more depth in their bullpen, but you can never have too many arms. But this one will go into the bank in hopes of a future payoff.

      Veteran right-hander Jose Leclerc, who has closer experience but missed most of 2025 with an injury, is close to signing a minor-league contract with the San Diego Padres, MLB insider Mike Rodriguez reported Monday.

      The 32-year-old had lat surgery in August and is still working his way back, projected to return to action in July. To show his progress, Leclerc threw a bullpen session recently for a handful of teams.

      Leclerc pitched in just 10 games and nine innings last season for the A's, with his last appearance in late April.

      Before that, he had spent his entire eight-year career with the Texas Rangers, including being a big part of the bullpen that helped secure the 2023 World Series championship, getting four saves that postseason. He has 41 saves in 360 career games, posting a 3.54 FIP. He has struggled with walks in his career, with a 13.1% walk rate, but excels at strikeouts with a 30.8% rate. His walk rate was 11.1% in 2024.

      Bryan Jaeger
       
      Robert Suarez , the San Diego Padres' star closer, opted out of his five-year contract signed in 2023. He had $16 million left on the deal. Now 34, Suárez is among the most attractive free agents. He had a career-high 40 saves this season with a 2.97 ERA in 69 2/3 innings. He led the National League in saves, trailing only Carlos Estévez (42) of the Kansas City Royals for the MLB lead.
       
      According to Spotrac, Suárez's market value spans four years, totaling $67 million, with an annual salary of $16.8 million. He likely wants another large payday before age 40. He is the top closer available, with Raisel Iglesias, Ryan Helsley, and Devin Williams as the main alternatives. Edwin Díaz could also opt out, and Andrés Muñoz has a club option. Both are younger and will draw attention.  
       
      Steve Drumwright

      The San Diego Padres could have a new owner as soon as next week.

      According to a report Thursday by Dennis Lin of The Athletic, the Seidler family is nearing a decision among a group of four suitors. The sale is expected to be for at least $3.5 million, which would eclipse the previous record for an MLB team of $2.42 million by Steve Cohen for the New York Mets in 2020.

      The four bidders are two owners of English Premier League men's soccer teams, Chelsea's Jose A. Feliciano and Everton's Dan Friedkin, and two NBA owners, Tom Gores of the Detroit Pistons and Joe Lacob of the Golden State Warriors and WNBA's Golden State Valkyries.

      The Athletic reported that each submitted final bids this week.

      The Padres were recently valued at $3.1 billion by Forbes, up from $1.9 billion a year ago.

      Peter Seidler, whose death in November 2024 set off this process, and Ron Fowler bought the Padres in 2012 for $800 million.

      Matthew Lenz

      The San Diego Padres lost Dylan Cease to free agency, may lose Michael King, and have been rumored to be considering bullpen arms for the starting rotation. Despite all of this, they are still willing to move one of their rotation arms.

      Dennis Lin of The Athletic is reporting that the San Diego Padres "have shown a willingness" to deal Nick Pivetta, though Lin goes on to say a deal is "not considered likely" and the team would require a "steep return".

      It's not that the Friars don't need the 33-year-old right-handed - it's that he's owed $19 million in 2026 and could potentially earn an additional $32 million through 2028, if he doesn't opt out of his contract following this season. Trading Pivetta would lighten the books and give the team the flexibility to use some of that money saved to acquire multiple starters.

      Pivetta made 31 starts in 2025, sporting an impressive 2.87 ERA, though a 3.49 FIP suggests some negative regression may be on its way in 2026. His 19.4% K-BB rate was exceptiona,l highlighted by one of the best four-seam fastballs in all of baseball. Displaying four plus pitches last year, it's clear he has plenty of juice left and likely would fetch a solid return if dealt.

      Do you think the Padres should deal Pivetta? Let us know what you think in the comments!

      Matthew Lenz

      The San Diego Padres' 2025-2026 season has gotten off to a busy start as the offseason budget and 2026 roster already begin to take shape.

      A day after Robert Suarez opted out, the team opened up more money by declining three more player options. Annie Heilbrunn of the San Diego Union-Tribune is reporting that the Friars have declined the options of Elias Diaz, Tyler Wade, and Kyle Hart.

      Diaz, who received a $2 million buyout instead of a $7 million salary, played in 106 games last season. He was a black hole of sorts at the plate, producing a .607 OPS with nine home runs across 283 plate appearances. In all, he posted a .269 wOBA and a 74 wRC+. With Freddy Fermin and Luis Campusano currently on the roster, this move didn't come as a surprise.

      Dealing with numerous injuries, Wade was a glove-first utility player who had an OPS of .561 in 121 plate appearances. He earned a $50K buyout, whereas his 2026 option was for $1 million.

      Hart, who was signed following a successful season in the Korean Baseball Organization (KBO), received $500K via buyout instead of a $1 million 2026 salary. In 20 appearances (six starts) he posted a 5.18 FIP, which is actually better than his ERA, over 43 innings pitched. 

      Do you think the Padres will bring back any of these players on a cheaper deal? Let us know in the comments!

      Matthew Lenz

      The San Diego Padres will have quite a bit of rostering shuffling to do after making multiple big league signings recently. Even more if they intend to add any of the players signed to speculative minor league contracts. As of Tuesday, the first domino has fallen.

      According to the San Diego Padres official X account, they have DFA'd outfielder Tirso Ornelas to make room for Griffin Canning. Ornelas' role was never guaranteed as it likely came down to him and fellow outfielder Bryce Johnson to battle for one of the last active roster spots. One of the two became even more expendable once it was announced that the Padres signed Nick Castellanos. After the first day of camp, Ornelas is the odd man out.

      In a cup of coffee last year, Ornelas posted a .256 OPS across 16 plate appearances. However, at Triple A El Paso he was an above average posting a 104 wRC+ with 10 home runs and seven stolen bases. His scouting report suggests that he can play  an average, if not above average, corner outfield.

      Do you think Ornelas will make it through waivers? Let us know in the comments!

      Matthew Lenz

      After 95 abysmal plate appearances this season, the San Diego Padres have DFA'd Jason Heyward.

      Heyward, 36, is slashing .176/.223/.271 with two home runs this season. That..."production"...is good for a 38 wRC+ and -0.5 fWAR.

      This likely marks the end of a solid, 15-year career for Heyward, who played in 1,824 games for the Atlanta Braves, Chicago Cubs, St. Louis Cardinals, Los Angeles Dodgers, and the Padres. A highly touted prospect, Heyward maybe didn't live up to those expectations but ended up as a 34.9 fWAR player for his career.

      Billy Mock

      The Padres selected Ty Harvey, a high school catcher out of Inspiration Academy in Bradenton, Florida. Harvey is a Florida State commit.

      The high school catching demographic is one of, if not the riskiest, demographics to draft from, as they are particularly difficult to project. Regardless, Harvey was one of the top high school catchers on the board due to his power projection at the plate as well as his advanced defense behind the plate. 

      While he does have some of the best raw power in the prep class this year, there appear to be some holes in the swing as MLB Pipeline's description of Harvey states, "others have seen him pull the ball hard but struggle with pitches down in the zone because of a stiff setup." The good news is that he has displayed above-average bat-to-ball skills for a power hitter his age, so that should help him tap into his power at the next level. 

      Harvey is big for a catcher, standing in at 6'2" and 215 pounds with even more projection in his frame. However, it looks like he'll have a good shot at remaining behind the plate. MLB Pipeline states that, "Harvey has every chance to stick behind the plate, with good hands and solid receiving skills. He moves well, especially for his size."

      Billy Mock

      Michael Salina, a 21-year-old junior from St. Bonaventure, has made school history as the highest draft pick to come from there. Salina came from the high school ranks in New York before opening his college career with George Mason as a reliever in his freshman year. He transferred to St. Bonaventure for his sophomore year, where he made 12 starts, posting a 4.78 ERA while striking out 64 in 58 1/3 innings.

      Salina's draft stock took a hit this spring after he suffered an elbow injury that required Tommy John surgery after just four starts. Prior to the injury, he owned a 4.15 ERA while striking out 35.1% of the batters he had faced. 

      His fastball stands out as the carrying tool as it sat in the mid to high-90s with great extension, and even reached as high as 102 mph. He throws a hard slider with two-plane movement to complement the slider, which profiles really well in a big league bullpen. While he has shown some success as a starter at the college level, the likely scenario is that he ends up in a relief role as a potential high-leverage option following his recovery. 

      Matthew Lenz

      The San Diego Padres continue to add options to their pitching staff in the form of low-risk minor league deals. However, this time it's in the form of a former 1st overall pick in the Nippon Professional Baseball league.

      According to the team's transaction log, they have signed RHP Daichi Moriki to a minor league deal and have assigned him to the Arizona Complex League Padres.

      Moriki, 22, was drafted by the Hanshin Tigers in 2021 and made his professional debut in 2022. In four seasons, he pitched in 66 games (149 1/3 innings), posting a 6.87 ERA, striking out 126 hitters, and walking 108. After struggling last season, he was released by Hanshin in October. The Yahoo Sports articles embedded in the X post below suggest that Moriki has been working at a baseball facility here in the States since his release, though it doesn't identify which one.

      Do you think Moriki can make a name for himself in Major League Baseball? Let us know in the comments!

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