Padres Interested In Freddy Peralta, Nick Martinez, Matthew Boyd

The Padres have interest in free agent starters Freddy Peralta and Nick Martinez, according to ESPN’s Alden Gonzalez.  Matthew Boyd is another name of interest to the team, as per Kevin Acee of the San Diego Union-Tribune, though Acee notes that the Padres have “showed some level of interest in virtually every starting pitcher on the market….rather than list the starters whose representatives the Padres talked to, suffice it to say there is hardly a starting pitcher they are not considering.”

The rotation push is understandable given that Michael King, Nick Pivetta, Walker Buehler, Casey Mize, Robbie Ray, and Griffin Canning are all free agents.  This leaves San Diego with a current starting staff of Randy Vasquez, JP Sears, Joe Musgrove (who may be used in the bullpen), newly-signed swingman candidate Ryan Weiss, and maybe Yu Darvish, if the veteran still wants to continue his career.

Suffice it to say, the Padres need to fill at least four and maybe five rotation spots this winter, leaving the team searching every corner of the starting pitching market (and undoubtedly the trade market as well).  Peralta, Martinez, and Boyd represent a range of starters and potential price points for the Friars.  On our list of the offseason’s top 50 free agents, MLBTR projected Peralta for a five-year, $110MM contract, Martinez for two years and $42MM, and Boyd for a one-year, $13MM deal.

Peralta’s final price tag will be particularly interesting to gauge, as the right-hander struggled with the Mets before regaining his old form after a deadline trade to the Rays.  The possibility exists that a straight five-year, nine-figure commitment won’t be there for Peralta if teams are wary about his extended cold stretch in New York, which might present an opening for a creative executive like Padres president of baseball operations A.J. Preller.  The Padres’ past deals with the likes of King and Pivetta included opt-outs, so it could be that Peralta might be open to such an early off-ramp in order to re-enter the market on the strength of a stronger platform year.

Martinez is no stranger to these types of Padres contracts, as he signed two different deals with San Diego after returning to the majors from a four-year stint in Japan from 2018-21.  Martinez worked as both a starter and reliever over two seasons with the Padres, and 2026 marked the first time in his nine MLB seasons that the right-hander worked exclusively as a starter.  The result was a very solid season in Tampa Bay’s rotation, setting Martinez up for a multi-year deal even though he is already 36 years old.

Boyd is also entering his age-36 season, and he missed some time due to arthroscopic knee surgery in 2026.  The southpaw has a lengthy health history but (last year’s meniscus tear aside) he has been generally healthier over the past two seasons with the Cubs, delivering a 3.50 ERA over 306 1/3 innings.  Boyd projects as a third starter type at best, but that would be fine for the Padres if they can land some other frontline arms who are clearer candidates to start a playoff game.

After evaluating many options during the GM Meetings, Preller told Acee and other reporters that he’d be speaking this coming week with new owners Jose E. Feliciano and Kwanza Jones plus team CEO Erik Greupner to discuss the Padres’ spending capacity.  “Jose and Kwanza are open to having those conversations, open to what that means from a different dollar amount and different contract commitments, and hopefully we make some good decisions,” Preller said.

As Feliciano and Jones enter their first full season in charge of the club, Acee writes that the duo plan to spend at least as much on payroll as in 2026, and for San Diego to be at least a top-10 payroll club.  MLBTR’s Payroll Tracker calculates the Padres’ approximate $224MM payroll in 2026 as ninth in the league, with a luxury tax number of roughly $269.4MM that sat sixth among all teams.

Looking ahead to next year, San Diego has a little over $193MM on the books and a tax number of around $192.6MM, which allows Preller for some flexibility.  To some extent, Feliciano and Jones may feel compelled to increase spending out of sheer need, given the Padres’ needs in not just the rotation, but also in the bullpen and a couple of lineup holes.

Turning to the relief corps, Acee writes that the Padres had some interest in Evan Phillips before the right-hander signed a three-year, $35MM contract with the Braves.  The Friars saw plenty of Phillips during his six seasons with the Dodgers, and if nothing else, the Padres will be glad to see him out of the NL West — Phillips has a sparkling 1.19 ERA over 22 2/3 career innings against San Diego.