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  • Major League Notes

    Notes about the team are posted here.

    81 rumors in this category

      Steve Drumwright

       

      The San Diego Padres became the final MLB team to alter their Opening Day roster, activating late-inning bullpen stalwart Jason Adam from the 15-day injured list Friday.

      To make room for Adam, right-hander Jeremiah Estrada went on the 15-day IL with tendinitis in his right elbow.

      Adam, a right-handed setup man, ruptured his left quadriceps tendon in a Sept. 1 game and required surgery. He progressed well during the offseason, with speculation that he could have been on the Opening Day roster. Instead, Adam started the season on the IL and got in a few more outings during a rehab assignment at Triple-A El Paso.

      At El Paso, Adam made four appearances and didn't allow a run, including two perfect innings Wednesday as a final tune-up. He allowed two hits and a walk while striking out one in his five rehab innings. He rejoins a Padres bullpen that has been decent in the first 13 games of the season, albeit with a few blips, ranking 10th in MLB with a 3.05 ERA. Friars relievers have worked the fourth-most innings thus far with 56.

      Last year, Adam had a 3.07 FIP (1.93 ERA) in 65 appearances over 65⅓ innings as a key member of a bullpen that had the best ERA in the majors at 3.06.

      Estrada has battled a loss in velocity in his seven outings this season, allowing four runs in his season debut and two more Thursday. Estrada's four-seam fastball has averaged 95 mph this season after being at 97.9 in 2025. He has a 5.14 ERA in 5⅓ innings, with five walks and eight strikeouts this season.

       

      Matthew Lenz

      While the San Diego Padres are strapped for cash and have a lot of work to do on their rotation, they've added some bullpen depth via free agency.

      According to their official X account, the San Diego Padres have signed pitcher Daison Acosta to a one-year deal. Acosta, who has yet to debut at 27 years old, was an international free agent signed by the New York Mets in 2016. He was then acquired by the Washington Nationals via the Rule 5 draft in 2023.

      Used solely as a reliever over the last three seasons, Acosta has posted solid strikeout rates but has struggled with walks. If he sticks on the Major League roster after spring training, he'll likely be deployed as a low-leverage reliever before being trusted with a larger role.

      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!

      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!

      Steve Drumwright

      The fight for control of the San Diego Padres following the death of owner Peter Seidler appears to have concluded after his widow dropped most of the claims against his two brothers, according to multiple reports, including The Athletic and the San Diego Union-Tribune.

      Sheel Seidler, Peter's widow, had filed a lawsuit in Texas probate court last year, making various claims against Matt and Bob Seidler, who are trustees of their brother's trust. A filing Monday said the sides had an "agreement to resolve the matters between them." Per the filing, Sheel Seidler cannot refile the claims.

      John Seidler, the oldest brother, assumed the ownership role following Peter's death in November 2023 and is now a trustee. The Seidlers announced in November that it was considering a sale of the team. According to The Athletic, the family is seeking a sale price "well above" the $1.95 billion the team was valued at in March 2025.

      Rumored to be leading candidates to purchase the Padres are Joe Lacob, owner of the NBA's Golden State Warriors, as well as Dan Friedkin and Jose E. Feliciano, who own English Premier League soccer teams.

      Brock Beauchamp

      Dylan Cease and Michael King have both declined the Padres’ one-year, $22.025 million qualifying offer for 2026, keeping them on the free-agent market and leaving two significant vacancies in San Diego’s rotation. Cease is coming off a 2025 season in which he made 32 starts and threw 168 innings with a 4.55 ERA, 3.46 FIP, and 11.52 K/9, marking his fifth straight year with at least 32 starts and 214 strikeouts. King’s year was limited by injury; he started 15 games and logged 73 1/3 innings with a 3.44 ERA, 4.26 FIP, and 9.33 K/9 after a full 173 2/3-inning workload as a starter in 2024 that featured a 3.33 FIP and a 19.0 percent K-BB rate. 

      MLB Trade Rumors projects Cease to land a seven-year, $189 million contract and King to secure a four-year, $80 million deal on the open market. 

      From a rotation standpoint, the club now has to account for the loss of Cease’s 168 regular-season innings and the portion of King’s workload it reasonably expected in 2026. Cease paired his 4.55 ERA with a 3.46 FIP and a 33.8 percent whiff rate in 2025, leading all starters in whiff rate. King’s shortened 2025 followed his 2024 transition to a full-time starting role, where he provided 173 2/3 innings with a 3.33 FIP for San Diego. Replacing that combination of innings and strikeout production becomes a central offseason task.

      The compensation side is straightforward. Under current qualifying-offer rules, Competitive Balance Tax payors receive a single compensation pick after the fourth round when a qualified free agent signs elsewhere, and the value of that player’s contract does not change the placement of the pick. The Padres are classified as CBT payors this offseason, so if Cease signs with another club, San Diego will receive one compensation pick after the fourth round of the 2026 Draft; the same structure applies to King. If both pitchers depart, the Padres would add two such selections.

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