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  • San Diego Padres Free Agent & Trade Rumors, Notes, & Tidbits

    The latest San Diego Padres free agent and trade rumors, along with notes and tidbits about the team.
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    Brock Beauchamp
    According to Will Sammon and Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic, the San Diego Padres would like to add another starting pitcher this offseason, though it comes with the caveat that the Padres may need to trade Nick Pivetta to clear salary space.
    Free-agent starters still on the board include Framber Valdez, Ranger Suárez, Zac Gallen, Nick Martinez, Chris Bassitt, Zack Littell, Patrick Corbin, Erick Fedde, Justin Verlander, Miles Mikolas, Nestor Cortes, Lucas Giolito, Jose Quintana, Aaron Civale, Marcus Stroman, Jordan Montgomery, John Means, Alex Cobb, and Walker Buehler.
    With the Padres still wrestling with budget concerns and expressing an interest in trading Pivetta, it will be difficult to find a net improvement in the rotation.
    Steve Drumwright
    Catcher Blake Hunt, a second-round draft choice of the San Diego Padres in 2017 who was involved in the Blake Snell trade, is returning to the club on a minor-league contract.
    A graduate of Mater Dei High School in Santa Ana, the 27-year-old Hunt spent the 2025 season in the Seattle Mariners' organization at Triple-A Tacoma. With the Rainiers, he put up a .272/.368/.452 slash line with eight homers and 35 RBIs in 68 games.
    Hunt played his first four professional seasons with the Padres, reaching Low-A Fort Wayne in 2019. He did receive a non-roster invitation to 2020 spring training, but the pandemic wiped away the minor-league season. That December, he was one of four players shipped to the Tampa Bay Rays for Snell. The others were catcher Francisco Mejia, right-hander Luis Patino and right-hander Cole Wilcox.
    Steve Drumwright
    With about a week left in the posting window for infielder Kazuma Okamoto, the San Diego Padres have emerged as a contender for the 29-year-old from Japan.
    While it isn't known how many teams are involved in the process at this point, the report from Francys Romero also included the Los Angeles Angels and Pittsburgh Pirates. His posting window closes Jan. 4.
    Okamoto, primarily a third baseman who also has experience at first base and the outfield, is coming off a 2025 season in which he put up an impressive .327/.416/.598 slash line with 15 homers, albeit in just 69 games for the NPB's Yomiuri Giants.
    As third base is currently held down by superstar Manny Machado, Okamoto's path to playing time is likely at first or the outfield, although there are contenders at those spots, too.
    Matthew Lenz
    A day after re-signing starting pitcher Michael King, the San Diego Padres have landed another free agent. Well, this move doesn't have the same gusto as the king signing; it is a low-risk, high-reward deal.
    Aram Leighton of Just Baseball is reporting that the San Diego Padres and utility and Fielder Jose Miranda have agreed to a minor league deal.
    Miranda, 27, played parts of four years for the Minnesota Twins. Overall, he was an above-average hitter with a 103 WRC+, .719 OPS, and 28 home runs in exactly 1,100 plate appearances. Despite that productivity, he was limited to just 12 big league games in 2025 due to performance. Having been demoted on April 12, after some confusion on the base pass, Miranda never got it going with Triple-A Saint Paul and ended up spending the rest of the season in the minor leagues. Following the season, the Twins outrighted Miranda, who declined his assignment and effectively became a free agent. Miranda, who can play multiple infield spots, is a bit position-less as he can't play any of the spots particularly well.
    Miranda was a bit of an unknown and unheralded prospect prior to his 2021 season, when he split time between Double-A Wichita and Triple-A Saint Paul. For more on the rise and fall of Miranda, who will look to bounce back in 2026, check out our article on Twins Daily!
    What do you think of the signing? Can he bounce back with the Padres in 2026? Let us know in the comments!
    Steve Drumwright
    If everything goes to plan, Mason Miller could be striking out Shohei Ohtani for the final out of the 2026 World Baseball Classic.
    That is because Miller, the San Diego Padres' closer, was named to the U.S. roster on Thursday. Miller joins starters Tarik Skubal, Paul Skenes, and Logan Webb, among others, as committing to play for the U.S. Skubal and Skenes were this year's AL and NL Cy Young Award winners, respectively.
    Miller, acquired by the Padres at the trade deadline from the Athletics, notched 22 saves in 26 chances between the two teams, including two saves in three opportunities with San Diego. Miller mainly served as the setup man for Robert Suarez, who was a free agent this offseason and recently signed with Atlanta.
    Miller has a 0.77 ERA and 1.12 FIP in 22 appearances with the Padres. He had a 54.2 strikeout percentage after the trade.
    Steve Drumwright
    While it won't erase the bad feelings from a short stint in the playoffs, the San Diego Padres learned there is a small silver lining as MLB announced the distribution of postseason shares.
    The Padres will dole out $10,710.79 to 68 members of the 2025 team. Postseason shares are given to teams from the MLB pot, which this year was $128.1 million, and are based on how far each team advanced in October. As we all know, the Padres lost in three games to the Chicago Cubs in an NL Wild Card Series.
    The 68 shares go to players, managers, and select staff members eligible for the World Series or who were on the roster after June 1. Cash awards are given to other members of the organization. Executives are not eligible.
    The World Series champion Los Angeles Dodgers' playoff shares are $484,747.57.
    Brock Beauchamp
    According to Francys Romero, one of the Padres' trade interests is embattled White Sox center fielder Luis Robert Jr.
    Robert Jr., 28, is under team control for potentially two more seasons; Chicago holds $20 million club options for both 2026 and 2027 with a $2 million buyout. In 2024, Robert appeared in 100 games and logged 425 plate appearances, hitting 14 homers and stealing 23 bases. He produced a .224/.278/.379 line with a .285 wOBA and 84 wRC+, plus a 6.6% BB% and 33.2% K%, finishing at 0.6 fWAR. In 2025, he played 110 games (431 plate appearances) and again hit 14 homers, while stealing 33 bases. He posted a .223/.297/.364 line with a .289 wOBA and 84 wRC+, paired with a 9.3% BB% and 26.0% K%. His 2025 total was 1.3 fWAR.
    Brock Beauchamp
    AJ Preller is a box of chocolates... or something. Just days ago, news out of the Padres' front office was that they weren't interested in dealing high-end relievers. Now, according to Underdog MLB, the Padres are listening on not only their best reliever, but their best starting pitcher.
    Mason Miller, 27, is arbitration-eligible beginning in 2026 and is scheduled to reach free agency in 2030. In 2025, he made 60 relief appearances split between Oakland and San Diego, working 61 2/3 innings and recording 22 saves. He struck out 44.4% of hitters with a 12.0% walk rate, and he posted a 2.23 FIP with a 0.73 HR/9. His BABIP was .240, and his strand rate was 76.0%. He finished with 2.0 fWAR, a 2.63 ERA, and a 2.27 xFIP.
    Nick Pivetta, 32, is signed through 2028 on a four-year, $55 million contract covering the 2025-28 seasons. In 2025, he started 31 games for San Diego and threw 181 2/3 innings. He recorded a 26.4% strikeout rate and a 6.9% walk rate, and his season FIP was 3.49 with a 3.85 xFIP. Pivetta's HR/FB rate was 9.7%, while his K-BB% was 19.5%.  
     
    Brock Beauchamp
    Writing for the San Diego Union-Tribune, Kevin Acee reports that Padres' president of baseball operations, AJ Preller, isn't looking to trade some of the team's high-end relief pitching to fill other holes on the 2026 roster.
    The 2026 Padres bullpen currently projects to look similar to 2025, minus closer Robert Suarez. Adrian Morejon threw 73 2/3 innings in relief with a 24.5 percent K%, 5.9 percent BB%, and 2.28 FIP. Robert Suarez logged 69 2/3 innings, posting a 27.9 percent K%, 5.9 percent BB%, and 2.88 FIP. Mason Miller added 23 1/3 innings with a 54.2 percent K%, 12.0 percent BB%, and 1.12 FIP. Jeremiah Estrada and Wandy Peralta combined for 143 1/3 innings with K% marks of 35.5 and 19.7 percent, respectively. Overall, Padres relievers produced a 25.8 percent K%, 9.6 percent BB%, 3.53 FIP, and 7.6 WAR over 609 innings in 2025.
    The 2025 Padres offense finished with a team line of .252/.321/.390 and a 102 wRC+ over 6,087 plate appearances, close to league average, but designated hitters combined for a .207/.273/.300 slash and 66 wRC+, placing San Diego among the weakest DH groups. Left field was approximately replacement level as well. Depth in the infield bench also lagged, with Jose Iglesias (.229/.298/.294, 73 wRC+) and Tyler Wade (.206/.309/.252, 69 wRC+) both below league-average production. For 2026, lineup questions center on upgrading the DH and left field, and on finding more offense from the catcher and reserve infield roles.
    Brock Beauchamp
    Life is never boring with AJ Preller as your favorite team's president of baseball operations. MLB Network recently reported that Preller is once again going big-game hunting, though it's questionable how much ammunition he has to bring along this time around.
    Reports out of Nashville suggest the Padres are at least listening on veterans like Nick Pivetta while gauging interest in other pricey pieces, even if a major teardown remains unlikely. With payroll tight and the farm thinned out, any blockbuster would likely involve some creative thinking. 
    A decade into his tenure, Preller’s résumé is defined by blockbuster trades. The most famous is the 2022 deadline blockbuster for Juan Soto and Josh Bell, a move that cost a haul of prospects but helped power San Diego’s run to the NLCS. He doubled down on pitching by landing Blake Snell from Tampa Bay, Yu Darvish from the Cubs, and Joe Musgrove from the Pirates in a rapid-fire series of deals that signaled an all-in push around Manny Machado. Preller has also aggressively overhauled the bullpen, sending prospects to Milwaukee for Josh Hader. This past deadline, he once again emptied the farm to bring in flamethrower reliever Mason Miller.
    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 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!
    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.
    Matthew Lenz
    The San Diego Padres need to rebuild their rotation for 2026. Though they have qualifying offers out to Michael King and Dylan Cease, it's expected that both pitchers will decline the one-year, $22 million pact. Though that doesn't completely write off the potential for a reunion, Padres president of baseball operations and general manager AJ Preller identified the starting rotation as a "top need."
    In a column for MLB.com, AJ Cassavell suggests the Friars could turn to their bullpen to bolster their rotation, specifically naming Mason Miller and Adrian Morejon as candidates to move. The decision on whether to move either arm into the rotation could happen soon, as Preller was quoted as saying, "if there’s a role change for anybody, that’s something that’s going to be important for us over the next 10-15 days..."
    Miller, acquired from the Athletics midseason, finished the season with a 2.63 ERA (2.23 FIP), 32.5% K-BB rate, and 32 holds + saves. Though he was one of baseball's premier closers before being dealt, he was mostly utilized as a setup man to Robert Suarez. Miller earned an extra year of arbitration for being eligible for super-2 status.
    Morejon, entering his fourth final year of arbitration, pitched 73 2/3 innings for the Friars in 2025. He posted a 2.08 ERA (2.28 FIP) with an 18.6% K-BB rate. With an fWAR of 2,2, he was the best bullpen arm for the team. 
    Do you think either pitcher should convert to a starter? Let us know in the comments!
    Brock Beauchamp
    We're looking for contributors to write Padres content over the offseason!
    First, feel free to reach out via email at brock.beauchamp@padresmission.com or reply to this article.
    Writing Articles
    If you’ve ever wanted an audience for your Padres takes, this is the perfect place. While we generally lean into analytics and analysis, we also take a “come as you are” approach to baseball and give writers a lot of leeway to write about the game in a way that interests them. That could manifest in historical pieces, previews, or regular series. It’s a matter of finding your niche in the fandom and carving out a space for it. 
    Making Videos
    We're also looking for videographers! Most of our content is on the shorter side (3-7 minutes), though we have space for plenty of different formats and ideas. Like the writing side of the site, we usually lean into analytics, but it's not the only path we're open to exploring.
    It is also noteworthy that we pay our content creators. It’s certainly not enough to quit your day job. So don’t do that. However, it might be enough to show that we value your time, talent, and effort.
    If you know someone who might be interested in creating Padres content as a side job, please share this with them!
    Matthew Lenz
    The San Diego Padres have had a busy start to the postseason, announcing a variety of moves that will have implications on how they approach the 2025- 2026 MLB off-season. Additionally, they are just days removed from naming Craig Stammen as the team's next manager. Now, they are looking to lock up one of the more influential people in their front office.
    Dennis Lin of The Athletic is reporting that the San Diego Padres and President of Baseball Operations A.J. Preller are discussing a contract extension. He adds that a new multi-year extension could be completed as soon as Monday.
    Despite reported tension between Preller and team CEO Erik Greupner, the POBO has undoubtedly earned job security, as the Friars have been consistently competitive throughout his 11-plus-year tenure.
    Under his watch, the Padres have been able to land some of the biggest free agents on the market. Franchise cornerstone Manny Machado is the biggest, and Yu Darvish is another. Moreover, they've been aggressive in the trade market, acquiring superstar, Juan Soto, and starting pitchers, Michael King and Dylan Cease, in recent years. This has resulted in increased revenue from attendance and TV ratings for the organization.
    Do you think Preller has earned a contract extension? Let us know in the comments!
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