San Diego Padres 2026-27 Offseason Wishlist

Despite the Padres being labeled as a small-market team, they have maintained a top-10 payroll for several seasons. That will continue to be the case with the massive contracts they have handed out over the years.

Free Agents (2026 salary in parentheses): Michael King ($17M), Robbie Ray ($25M), Nick Pivetta ($20.5M), Ty France ($2M), Jason Adam ($6.7M), Casey Mize ($6.14M), Ramon Laureano ($4M), Miguel Andujar ($1.9M), Adrian Morejon ($3.9M), Walker Buehler ($4M), others.

Of these players, King, Morejon, and France are key. 

The Padres’ current rotation would easily rank among the bottom five in baseball. King has been nothing short of sensational since transitioning to a full-time starter. If he isn’t re-signed, finding a suitable replacement for him will be a difficult task. Especially after his playoff heroics, hand him a blank check.

Morejon is a homegrown talent and has established himself as one of the best set-up men in the league. Unfortunately, he is the most coveted bullpen arm this free agency, but like King, the Padres should do everything in their power to retain him. 

The only player who provided continuity on offense all season was France. He is San Diego through and through, and there is no good reason the team shouldn’t bring him back. 

Fortunately, all three of the players have expressed interest in staying in San Diego, but time will tell. Either way, keeping this core intact needs to be a priority.

Arbitration Raises (Just Baseball’s 2027 Arbitration Projections in parentheses): Gavin Sheets ($6.3M), Luis Campusano ($1.6M), Mason Miller ($7.8M), Freddy Fermin ($2.6), Bryan Hoeing ($820k), JP Sears ($2.93M), Jeremiah Estrada ($1.53), Jhony Brito ($800k)

None of these players are making substantially more money, but they are still more expensive than in 2026. With the lack of power on the team, retaining Sheets is a no-brainer. Miller is the biggest no-brainer of them all, and I expect Estrada to be brought back as well. 

Between Campusano and Fermin, I think it would be in the best interest of the team to keep Campusano and shop Fermin. Campusano’s offensive upside is much more of a need, and Ethan Salas can handle defensive responsibilities behind the plate. 

Brito is intriguing. He possesses decent velocity with solid secondaries that generate plenty of whiff. If he can put the injuries behind him, he could be a sneaky candidate for the rotation. 

Sears and Hoeing are likely to be non-tender candidates.

Guaranteed Contracts/Options (2027 salary in parentheses): Manny Machado ($39.1M), Fernando Tatis Jr. ($25.71M), Xander Bogaerts ($25.45M), Jackson Merrill ($8.11M), Yu Darvish ($15M), Joe Musgrove ($20M), Jake Cronenworth ($12.28M), Sun-Mun Song ($3.25M), Wandy Peralta ($4.45M)

I don’t need to have any more discussions about Machado’s and Bogaerts’ contracts. They are bad, and their best offensive days are likely behind us. However, they can still be impactful players for a couple more seasons. I trust Machado to bounce back, particularly in terms of average. As for Bogaerts, getting league-average production from him would be a win. 

Darvish retiring would certainly benefit the team by freeing up $15 million. He will be 40 years old, returning from Tommy John surgery, and it’s fair to question how effective he can be at this stage of his career. 

Fan favorite Musgrove struggled all season to make his return from Tommy John surgery. In the glimpses we got, the stuff looked intact, and he had even put a couple of ticks on his fastball. With a full offseason, the hope is that he can put the setbacks behind him and return to the rotation. 

I think Cronenworth’s time as a Padre is finished. While he’s had his moments, he has regressed offensively and has been rumored as a trade piece. With Song in the picture, it would make sense to move on from Cronenworth. 

Money to Spend: There are plenty of question marks, to say the least, and I’d expect the Padres to have $30 to $60 million to spend. In a perfect world, it’s more, but ownership hasn’t confirmed its plans this offseason. This number is subject to change if the Padres trade anyone or let players walk in arbitration. 

Rebuild the Rotation

If the season started today, the Padres rotation would be Musgrove, Randy Vásquez, Sears, Brito, and Jagger Haynes. Not good. 

This is why it’s surprising they didn’t pick up Pivetta’s option and why re-signing King should be priority No. 1.

Even if both ultimately return, Musgrove isn’t a for-sure lock for the rotation, and we have seen the good and bad from Vásquez. 

I already briefly mentioned Brito, and he would project to be the fifth or sixth starter. The Padres need to add legitimate starting pitching talent rather than relying on the internal options to pan out.

What Happens if King Signs Elsewhere?

It is far from a certainty that King will return, and that is a possibility that needs to be explored. Other pitchers around his caliber include Tarik Skubal, Freddy Peralta, and Trevor Rogers. 

I’m not going to waste time fantasizing about Skubal wearing a Padres uniform. It would be an unwise use of money when the team has so many other needs. As for Peralta and Rogers, those could be two pitchers that would slot into the No. 1 spot in the rotation and you would feel comfortable. 

Of the two, Peralta would be the preferred target. I’m a firm believer in the stuff, especially after the Rays got him back to his Cy Young ceiling.

If King Re-Signs

If King ultimately chooses San Diego, then the approach to building out the rotation should be similar to last offseason, except do it better.

Instead of taking flyers on Griffin Canning, Germán Márquez, and Lucas Giolito, target players with real upside. 

There are four pitchers that fit this mold: Clay Holmes, Shane Bieber, Zac Gallen, and Jack Flaherty. 

Out of these starters, Holmes is my favorite. I understand injuries are a concern, but if we are being serious, is there any starting pitcher who comes with zero injury risk? He is a high-groundball pitcher who would fit perfectly in Petco. He can work deep into games and provide a level of efficiency the rotation lacked in 2026. 

For Bieber, it hasn’t been pretty since returning from elbow surgery. He went on the injured list twice this season, and when he was healthy, he was a shell of his former self. With a full offseason, however, there is still a chance he can turn things around. I think Bieber still has something left in the tank. I’m not saying he is going to win another Cy Young, but he is someone worth taking a shot on. 

Gallen’s downfall has been hard to watch. He went from being a surefire, front-line starter to arguably the worst starting pitcher in the sport. Now that doesn’t sound very enticing, but he is a perfect buy-low for the back end of the rotation. There is still upside here, and perhaps Ruben Niebla can help Gallen rediscover himself. 

The case for Flaherty is a little clearer. He still generates a good amount of swing-and-miss and strikeouts, but he lacks consistency in the zone. His inability to find the zone at times has led him to fall behind in counts and allow hard contact. If he can be around the zone more and get ahead of hitters, there is a good chance for him to hover between a mid-to-high 3.00s ERA.

Find a Legitimate Left Fielder With Power

The left field position has been a position of need for much of the last two seasons. Ramon Laureano was to be the answer, but his season ended with a torn labrum in his right hip in June. This led to a platoon of Samad Taylor, Austin Hays, and Dustin Harris. These are not players that a serious contender can be sending out to take meaningful at-bats. 

Top-Tier Options: Seiya Suzuki, Randy Arozarena, Ian Happ

Suzuki would be the dream signing. He posted his best season to date in 2026, combining the offensive production with a strong showing in the field. However, with all the needs in the rotation, along with trying to re-sign some of the bullpen pieces, Suzuki is very unlikely to be a realistic option. 

Coming off a career year, Arozarena would be a great fit as well. What he lacks defensively, he makes up for with the bat. The only hesitation with Arozarena is that you would be buying him at his peak, so you can’t assume that this production will carry over. At worst, he is a 120 wRC+ guy that can give you an occasional defensive highlight. 

Happ is someone who would provide elite defense and give the lineup the added thump necessary. He isn’t going to be someone who hits for average, but he can get on base and is good for at least 20 home runs. Him being a switch-hitter is a plus, too.

Mid-Tier Options: Taylor Ward, Tyrone Taylor

Neither of these guys is perfect by any standard. 

Ward went from 36 home runs to seven this past season, which led to him not having a consistent role in the Mariners’ lineup. Even with the down year, he would be a fit to patrol left field, with the hope of him finding his power stroke. 

Taylor would be an upgrade over the current platoon, but he would likely be half of a platoon rather than an everyday starter. His splits are the reason I say this, but it is worth noting that he batted .351 in 30 games with the Cubs in an everyday role. While expecting that production is foolish, if he could be a .250 guy with his elite defense, that would be a win.

Low-Tier Options: Ramon Laureano, Lourdes Gurriel Jr.

Laureano has had success with the team and seemed to have made the adjustments to be a threat in the lineup. He would be someone that the team should look at as a last resort if they strike out on all the previous names.

Gurriel is past his very short-lived prime, but he could be someone that is platooned if that is ultimately what the team decides to do. He isn’t an inspiring signing by any means, hence why he is the last player named.

Final Thoughts

It will be yet another busy offseason for Preller, and there are quite a few decisions he will need to make. 

Keeping much of the core intact needs to be the priority. Once that is handled, then go and add players to the roster. 

Adding real pieces to the rotation will help avoid overworking the bullpen, which looked very taxed in the postseason. And with how the offense has stalled in the playoffs, one more bat could prove the difference. 

It all boils down to how much, or whether, ownership is willing to spend at all. That will guide the entire offseason. If they choose to open their wallets, this team can be built to contend. If the opposite occurs, Preller will have to get creative. Even with that, I don’t see them making it back to the playoffs. 

For two out of the last three years, the Padres have been legitimate World Series contenders. In this year’s NLDS, it looked like whoever came out of that series was going on to win it all. In 2024, the World Series was decided in their matchup against the Dodgers. 

This core has proven it can compete with the best teams in baseball, but competing isn’t the ultimate goal. It’s time to finish the job. The window is closing, and the Padres have too much talent to let another opportunity slip away. Ownership needs to give Preller the resources to make it happen. San Diego has waited long enough for a championship, and this is the time to go get one.