San Diego Padres 2026 Offseason Guide: Important Dates, Schedule, & Calendar

This guide provides a comprehensive overview of the San Diego Padres' 2025–2026 offseason, highlighting key dates and events across Major League Baseball’s winter calendar. It includes details on the Winter Meetings, MLB Draft Lottery, and the important deadlines when the Padress must decide on arbitration-eligible players and those with team or mutual contract options. In the sections that follow, you’ll find a list of pending free agents, players with contract options, and a detailed timeline of the offseason ahead.

To view the current Padres 40-man roster, view our roster page, updated nightly.

The San Diego Padres had a season that felt all too familiar. Despite a roster filled with star power and marquee names, the Padres once again settled into a familiar position, second place in the National League West behind the Los Angeles Dodgers. It marked the fourth time in the past six seasons that San Diego has finished as the runner-up to its longtime division rival.

The Padres’ offense was solid but unspectacular, ranking around the middle of the pack across most major categories. Their real strength came from the mound, particularly a dominant bullpen that led all of baseball with a sparkling 3.06 ERA. At the plate, Fernando Tatis Jr. and Manny Machado continued to anchor the lineup, while Nick Pivetta emerged as a steady presence in the starting rotation. True to form, the Padres were aggressive at the trade deadline, parting ways with top prospect Leo De Vries to acquire electric young closer Mason Miller in a blockbuster move. Yet, for all the regular-season success and bold front office maneuvering, the story ended in heartbreak once again, an early playoff exit at the hands of the Chicago Cubs in the Wild Card round.

Click any link below to jump to an explanation of that event/date.

2026 Offseason Dates & Calendar

• Oct 24 - Nov 1: World Series
• Immediately After The World Series: Players Become Free Agents, Trade Market Opens
• 5 Days After Conclusion Of World Series: Contractual Options Due, Qualifying Offers Due, League-Wide Free Agency Opens
• Early November: General Manager Meetings
• Nov 13: The MLB Awards
• Nov TBA: Rule 5 Protection Deadline, Qualifying Offer Decisions due
• Nov TBA: Tender Deadline
• Dec TBA: Announcement of Competitive Balance Picks
• Dec 7-10: Winter Meetings (Orlando, FL)
• Dec 10: MLB Draft Lottery
• Dec 10: Rule 5 Draft
• January 2026: BBWAA HOF announcement
• Mid-January: Arbitration agreement deadline
• Jan 15: International Signing Period Opens
• January/February 2026: Padres FanFest
• Late January-Early February: Arbitration Hearings
• Mid-February: Report to Spring Training
• February TBA: First Spring Training Game
• March TBA: MLB Spring Breakout
• March 25: MLB Opening Night (Yankees @ Giants)
• March 26: Opening Day (Tigers @ Padres)

World Series

Game 1 of the 2025 MLB World Series is set for Friday, October 24, with a potential Game 7 scheduled for Saturday, November 1. The offseason officially begins the moment the final out of the World Series is recorded. Players on expiring contracts immediately become free agents, though certain restrictions apply in the first few days that will be detailed later. The day after the World Series ends, teams can resume making trades for the first time since the midseason deadline — marking the official start of the MLB offseason.

5 Days After The Conclusion Of World Series

As the offseason begins, free agents are permitted to negotiate exclusively with their most recent team for a five-day period. After that window closes, they are free to engage with all 30 MLB clubs.

For the San Diego Padres, several key contributors are set to reach free agency following the 2025 season. Luis Arraez, Dylan Cease, Nestor Cortes, Ryan O’Hearn, and José Iglesias are all on expiring contracts, giving the front office important decisions to make this winter. King and Cease, in particular, will draw considerable attention on the open market, while veterans like Arraez and Iglesias could provide valuable depth wherever they land. It remains to be seen which players the Padres will prioritize in their efforts to keep the roster competitive heading into 2026.

Player/Team/Mutual Options

During the initial offseason period, teams and players must decide whether to exercise or decline any contractual options for the upcoming year. For the San Diego Padres, several players hold options that will require attention in the coming weeks.

On the player side, Robert Suarez has a two-year, $16 million opt-out clause, while Wandy Peralta holds a one-year, $4.45 million player option. Both pitchers have been important pieces in the Padres’ bullpen, and their decisions will have a significant impact on San Diego’s relief depth heading into 2026.

Two players, Elias Díaz and Michael King, hold mutual options for the 2026 season. Agreeing on mutual options is relatively rare in Major League Baseball, as they require both the team and the player to agree to extend the contract for another year. Often, one side declines, leading to a buyout instead. In this case, Díaz’s mutual option is worth $7 million with a $2 million buyout, while King’s is valued at $15 million with a $3.75 million buyout.

On the club option side, outfielder Ramón Laureano has a $6.5 million option, left-hander Kyle Hart holds a $5 million option with a $500,000 buyout, and utility man Tyler Wade has a $1 million club option with a $50,000 buyout. 

Qualifying Offers

Like contract options, Qualifying Offers must be issued within five days of the World Series’ conclusion. The value of the Qualifying Offer changes annually, as it’s based on the average salary of MLB’s 125 highest-paid players from the previous season. For the upcoming offseason, that figure is projected to be $22 million.

To be eligible, a player must have spent the entire previous season with one team and must never have previously received a Qualifying Offer. Clubs have until five days after the World Series ends to extend the offer, and players then have until mid-November to decide whether to accept or decline. If a player rejects the offer and signs elsewhere, their former team receives draft-pick compensation, with the specifics depending on the club’s market size, revenue-sharing status, and the value of the player’s new deal.

The Padres gave the qualifying offer to starting pitchers Dylan Cease and Michael King this offseason; both declined their offer and are now free agents. The Padres will receive two compensation picks in the 2026 MLB Draft as a result.

Free Agency

Free agency officially begins the day after the World Series concludes. However, during the initial five-day period, players are only permitted to negotiate with their previous club. Once that window closes, full free agency opens, allowing all 30 teams to contact and negotiate with any available player. Depending on the length of the World Series, league-wide free agency is expected to begin between November 2 and November 6.

As previously mentioned, the Padres have several players set to hit the open market, Luis Arraez, Dylan Cease, Nestor Cortes, Ryan O’Hearn, and José Iglesias. Each brings a different value profile to the table, from Cease’s frontline potential to Arraez’s contact-driven offense and Iglesias’s veteran versatility. San Diego’s front office will face key decisions in determining which players to pursue for potential returns and which to let walk as they look to reshape the roster for 2026. Free agency will continue throughout the offseason and into spring training.

General Manager Meetings

Roughly a week after the World Series concludes, all 30 general managers gather for meetings to discuss league business and key offseason matters. While these sessions don’t typically draw much attention from fans, they often help establish the groundwork for trades and other transactions that take place later in the winter.

Rule 5 Protection/Draft

The Rule 5 Draft takes place each winter (with the exception of 2020) and offers every organization a chance to uncover unprotected talent from other clubs. Under Rule 5 regulations, players who signed at age 18 or younger must be protected within five seasons, while those who signed at 19 or older must be protected within four. Teams safeguard eligible prospects by adding them to the 40-man roster — a task that can be tricky in years when roster space is tight.

For the Padres, several prospects will need to be evaluated for protection ahead of the mid-November deadline to avoid exposure in this year’s Rule 5 Draft, which is scheduled for December 10. That group is expected to include Miguel Mendez, Jagger Haynes, and Garrett Hawkins, among others. Each represents a developmental investment the organization will weigh carefully before deciding who earns a coveted 40-man spot.

Players who are not added to the 40-man roster by the deadline can be selected by another team for a $100,000 fee. Any player drafted must remain on the selecting club’s active Major League roster (or MLB injured list) for the entire season. If that player is later designated for assignment and clears waivers, he must be offered back to his original team for $50,000.
While most Rule 5 selections don’t turn into stars, the process has produced its share of hidden gems over the years — including impact relievers and late bloomers who carved out valuable roles. For the Padres, this draft represents both a risk of losing unprotected talent and an opportunity to identify a surprise contributor from another system.

The MLB Awards

The MLB Awards return to Las Vegas on November 13, taking place at The Chelsea at The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas. 

Among the honors announced will be the Hank Aaron Awards, Comeback Players of the Year, Mariano Rivera and Trevor Hoffman Relievers of the Year, the Edgar Martínez Outstanding Designated Hitter of the Year, and the All-MLB First and Second Team selections. Around the same time, the BBWAA Awards, including Rookie of the Year, Manager of the Year, Cy Young, and Most Valuable Player, will also be revealed.

Non-Tender Deadline & Arbitration

Players with between three and six years of MLB service time automatically qualify for salary arbitration. There’s also the Super Two designation, which allows a select group of players with just under three years of service to become eligible as well. Arbitration gives players still under team control a chance to argue for compensation they feel reflects their on-field performance. If a team believes a player’s projected arbitration salary exceeds their value, they can non-tender the player instead of offering a contract. Although arbitration eligibility depends on service time, any player with fewer than six years in the majors can technically be non-tendered. Doing so immediately makes them a free agent, while also freeing up a spot on the 40-man roster. Teams have until the non-tender deadline (typically in late November) to decide whether to offer contracts to arbitration-eligible players. Once tendered, the two sides can continue negotiating a salary until mid-January. If no agreement is reached, the case proceeds to an arbitration hearing, where both sides submit salary figures, and a neutral arbitrator selects one. Hearings usually take place between late January and mid-February, with pitchers often going first due to their earlier Spring Training report dates.

The arbitrator’s ruling is final, and the player is paid that amount for the upcoming season. While the process ensures fairness, it can sometimes strain relationships between players and teams

Arbitration Eligible Padres (Expected $ in parenthesis)

• Adrian Morejon: $3.6MM
• Jason Adam: $6.8MM
• Gavin Sheets: $4.3MM
• JP Sears: $3.5MM
• Luis Campusano: $1MM
• Mason Miller: $3.4MM
• Freddy Fermin: $1.8MM

Competitive Balance Draft Picks

Each offseason, Major League Baseball announces the Competitive Balance Draft picks, designed to help smaller-market and lower-revenue teams maintain parity across the league. These selections, first introduced in 2012, are awarded annually based on a formula that factors in a club’s market size, revenue, and winning percentage. Eligible teams are placed into one of two rounds: Round A, which occurs between the first and second rounds of the MLB Draft, and Round B, which takes place between the second and third rounds. In addition to the bonus draft pick, teams receiving a Competitive Balance selection also receive a slightly larger international signing pool.

Unlike other draft picks, Competitive Balance selections can be traded once, though they cannot be exchanged purely for cash.
The Padres last received a Competitive Balance pick in 2021, when they were awarded a Round B selection. Since then, San Diego’s sustained revenue levels and recent competitive success have kept them out of the pool of eligible teams. As a result, they are not expected to receive a Competitive Balance pick for the 2026 MLB Draft, with official announcements typically coming in early December.

Winter Meetings

Each December, high-ranking executives from all 30 organizations, along with agents, players, and media members, gather for the MLB Winter Meetings, a four-day event that serves as the centerpiece of the offseason. This year’s meetings will take place in Orlando, Florida, from December 7 to 10. The Winter Meetings are where the bulk of offseason business takes shape. Trades, free agent signings, and major rumors often dominate the headlines during this stretch. Juan Soto, who was the central story of the 2023 Winter Meetings when he was traded to the Yankees, once again stole the spotlight this year after signing a 15-year, $765 million contract with the New York Mets. He was joined in the headlines by Max Fried, who signed with the New York Yankees, and Garrett Crochet, who was traded to the Boston Red Sox in one of the biggest deals of the week.

If there is one point on the calendar when the most MLB transactions are likely to occur, this is it. In addition to roster moves, both the MLB Draft Lottery and the Rule 5 Draft take place during the Winter Meetings, adding even more intrigue to one of baseball’s busiest weeks of the year.

MLB Draft Lottery

In 2023, Major League Baseball implemented a draft lottery system aimed at discouraging teams from intentionally losing games to secure higher draft positions. Under this format, all clubs that miss the postseason are assigned odds to land one of the top six selections in the following year’s draft. While teams with the worst regular-season records still have the best chances, the lottery adds an element of randomness to what was once strictly determined by reverse standings.

The Padres, having reached the postseason, are not part of the draft lottery. Instead, their draft position is determined by the order in which playoff teams are eliminated, as well as by revenue-sharing status and regular-season winning percentage. The 12 postseason clubs select in the following order: Wild Card Series losers, Division Series losers, Championship Series losers, World Series runner-up, and finally, the World Series champion.

Since San Diego was eliminated in the Wild Card round, the Padres are projected to hold a mid-to-late first-round selection in the upcoming draft, a position reflective of both their postseason appearance and competitive regular season.

BBWAA HOF Announcement

Every January, the Baseball Writers’ Association of America (BBWAA) announces its voting results for the newest class of the Baseball Hall of Fame. Players become eligible five years after retirement and can remain on the ballot for up to ten years, provided they continue to receive at least five percent of the vote each cycle. Earning election requires appearing on 75 percent of submitted ballots. If a player falls below the five-percent threshold, they are removed from future ballots and can only be reconsidered later by one of the Hall’s era-based committees. This year’s ballot lacks top-end HOF candidates but still showcases several notable names, including Cole Hamels and Ryan Braun, who are making their first appearance, and Manny Ramírez, who is entering his final year of eligibility.

2026 International Signing Period Opens

The international signing period reopens on January 15, marking one of the most important opportunities for MLB organizations to acquire young talent from around the globe. While the majority of signings come from Latin America, teams also scout and sign players from Asia, Europe, and other regions. During this window, clubs can reach agreements with foreign players who are 16 years or older. Signing bonuses vary widely — for example, Ronald Acuña Jr. signed with the Braves for just $100,000 in 2014 and became one of the game’s brightest stars, while other highly touted prospects signed for millions but never reached expectations. The international market remains one of baseball’s most unpredictable talent pipelines.

Each team operates under a hard spending cap, which varies depending on market size and other factors. This year, the Padres fall into the $5,940,000 bonus pool tier. Bonuses of $10,000 or less do not count against that total. Many agreements are reached informally well before the signing date, as teams invest years in scouting and relationship-building with these young players and their families.

While some international signees advance quickly through the minors and reach the big leagues within five or six years, others take longer or never fully develop. The international signing period runs through December 15, after which clubs immediately turn their attention to scouting and preparing for the next class of international talent.

Padres FanFest

Although official dates have not yet been announced, the Padres FanFest is traditionally held near the end of January at Petco Park. The annual event gives fans the opportunity to meet their favorite players and coaches, collect autographs, and celebrate the start of a new baseball season. It’s a fun, family-friendly tradition that brings Padres fans together for a memorable day of baseball excitement before Spring Training gets underway.

Spring Training 2026!

Padres pitchers and catchers will report to the Peoria Sports Complex in Peoria, Arizona in mid-February, with position players set to arrive a few days later for the start of full-squad workouts. Spring Training games in the Cactus League will begin shortly after and run for about a month as the team prepares for the upcoming regular season.

Dates for the Padres’ first Cactus League game and MLB’s Spring Breakout have not yet been announced, but both are expected to take place in the traditional February/March window. The Spring Breakout event will once again showcase each organization’s top prospects in a series of exhibition games against other clubs’ best young talent.

The 2026 MLB regular season is scheduled to officially open on March 25, when the New York Yankees face the San Francisco Giants on Opening Night. Unlike recent years, there will be no international series to begin the season, with all Opening Day games taking place in North America. The Padres, along with the rest of Major League Baseball, will open their season the following day, marking the official return of baseball in full force.

Thank you for reading, and I hope this guide helped make sense of the many dates and details that come with the MLB offseason. It can be a lot to keep track of! I’ll continue to provide updates as more specific information becomes available. Enjoy the offseason, and here’s to a great 2026 season ahead!