Padres monitoring trade market for relief pitching despite other needs

San Diego Padres president of baseball operations and general manager A.J. Preller. Orlando Ramirez-Imagn Images

Padres monitoring trade market for relief pitching despite other needs

By Vanessa Serrao | Last updated May 21, 2026 2:15 PM ET

According to Dennis Lin from The Athletic, the San Diego Padres are exploring the trade market for relief pitching. This is despite having one of the best bullpens in MLB with flamethrowing closer Mason Miller.

It comes as a surprise, considering their struggles with offense and the need for starting pitching. They are ranked near the bottom of the league, tied for 23rd with 200 runs scored.

The motive behind their appeal in exploring relief pitching is mainly to avoid overexerting an already significantly taxed bullpen.

The Padres are second in the NL West with a 29-20 record. But even despite a strong record, they are looking to take some of the load off their late-inning arms, and especially Miller.

The Padres, despite an already-strong bullpen and more obvious needs for offense and starting pitching, are monitoring the trade market for relief help, sources tell @TheAthletic: https://t.co/mbFUaQMbOl
— Dennis Lin (@dennistlin) May 21, 2026

The Padres are aiming to protect their overworked bullpen

While they have formidable pitching depth, they are in search of early reinforcements to sustain a healthy bullpen with the aim of a deep postseason push.

They are alleviating the heavy strain placed on their bullpen and not overworking Miller, who has been heavily relied upon during their successful run. They evidently want to handle their high-leverage workload better when it comes to the high usage of their untouchable star closer.

This season, the bullpen has been overworked because of injuries in the starting rotation to Nick Pivetta and Joe Musgrove, which has resulted in early exits in games.

This has forced manager Craig Stammen to lean on relievers Kyle Hart and Bryan Hoeing, who have pitched in bulk to help cover innings. Overall, the Padres are actively seeking bullpen arms to avoid late-season arm fatigue.

The offense has underperformed, with star athletes such as Manny Machado and Fernando Tatis Jr. both not producing at the levels expected. Machado is sporting an OPS of .603 and Tatis an OPS of .590. Because of this, the bullpen has been relied upon heavily to help close out games.

Vanessa Serrao

Serrao is a freelance baseball writer who has covered all MLB teams, with particular expertise on the Toronto Blue Jays. She is a member of the Internet Baseball Writers Association of America.

More must-reads: