When right-handed pitcher Walker Buehler and the San Diego Padres agreed to a minor league deal this past offseason, it was assumed that all the work he put in would one day be for a postseason run.
Jim Carrey's character in "Dumb and Dumber" was quick to reply with optimism when he was given one-in-a-million chances. Joe Musgrove's self-assessment of his chances of pitching for the San Diego Padres in October sounded similarly distant, even if he was unwilling to put a number on the exact odds.
The San Diego Padres lost to the Los Angeles Dodgers, 7-0, on Tuesday evening and fell to 87-70 on the year. The Padres' magic number remains at 2 and the Chicago Cubs lost to the Miami Marlins, creating another three-way tie for the more favorable wild-card seeding in the National League.
The San Diego Padres don’t have a firm decision yet on when pitcher Michael King’s next start will be. That will depend on how the next few days go as the MLB playoffs draw near, as the Friars look to lock up a spot in the upcoming 2026 MLB playoffs.
The 2026 season has been headlined by young players emerging, but some wily veterans have also had their day. As we head toward the end of the regular season, these 30 players stand out as the biggest surprises on their teams.
San Diego Padres (87-69) at Los Angeles Dodgers (96-60), September 22, 2026, 7:10 p.m. PST Watch: Padres.TV Location: UNIQLO Field at Dodger Stadium – Los Angeles, Calif.
The San Diego Padres are in Los Angeles for a three-game series with the rival Dodgers where they can officially clinch a spot in the 2026 postseason. The Padres (87-69) enter the series as baseball's hottest team, going 13-1 over their last 14 games and 14-2 over their last 16.
The San Diego Padres are here to stay. They only need one more win (and one Arizona Diamondbacks loss) to clinch the postseason on Tuesday night versus the Los Angeles Dodgers.
The San Diego Padres' win over the Miami Marlins on Sunday put their magic number to clinch a wild-card berth at 2. They can double the magic by beating the Los Angeles Dodgers on the road and wheeling the champagne into the visitors' clubhouse at Dodger Stadium.
The hottest team in baseball is racing toward a playoff berth, and the San Diego Padres can complete the chase as early as Tuesday's opener of a three-game road series against the Los Angeles Dodgers.
The San Diego Padres have been without Gavin Sheets all September, as he’s dealing with a sprain and plantar plate tear in his left foot. However, he’s been making progress and appears to be on pace to return, assuming the club reaches the playoffs.
Tatis has made a noteworthy turnaround in his power production following a surprising home-run drought across the first 55 games of the season due to his closed batting stance.
Joe Musgrove's 2026 season is not necessarily over. Yet the longer the right-hander goes without facing hitters, the less hope the San Diego Padres have of seeing him on a mound in a game this year.
The San Diego Padres are making an important change to their rotation ahead of their series against the Los Angeles Dodgers. Manager Craig Stammen announced that Michael King will move up a day and start Tuesday’s series opener at Dodger Stadium.
Jake Cronenworth homered twice and knocked in a season-high five runs Sunday while Fernando Tatis Jr. also homered as the San Diego Padres defeated the visiting Miami Marlins 7-3 to polish off a three-game sweep.
Dylan Cease might not win the American League Cy Young Award after his first season in Toronto. If he does, Cease will have a small reason to shout out San Diego Padres pitching coach Ruben Niebla in his acceptance speech.
The Major League Baseball season is near its end, and that means teams have little time left to qualify for the playoffs. The San Diego Padres have been red-hot as the season comes to a close.
San Diego Padres youngster Ethan Salas stole the show on Saturday exactly like Manny Machado did over a decade ago. Salas came up to the plate as a pinch hitter in a tie game against the Miami Marlins at Petco Park in San Diego, Calif.
Rookie Ethan Salas stroked an RBI single in the bottom of the 10th inning Saturday night and the San Diego Padres edged the visiting Miami Marlins 7-6.
The 2026 season is near completion. While many teams are laser-focused on their final push to either reach the postseason or secure a critical first-round bye, others are already looking ahead to the offseason and the 2027 campaign (and beyond).
In the first half of the season, the San Diego Padres were the most confusing team in all of baseball. Offensively, the team ranked 30th in average (.226), on-base percentage (.302), and runs scored (379). Individually, the team was beyond disappointing.
The San Diego Padres have been one of the bigger spenders in MLB in recent years, but with new owners in the fold, that may not remain the case moving forward.
The San Diego Padres’ bloated payroll situation may lead to one notable casualty this winter. Padres All-Star third baseman Manny Machado could be the team’s odd man out this offseason, Pat Ragazzo of FanSided reported on Tuesday.
The Padres have released right-handers J.P. France and José Leclerc, per the MiLB.com transaction log. Both had been with the organization on minor league contracts.