The Padres will have three vacant openings in their 2026 starting rotation with the likely departures of Dylan Cease and Michael King, along with Yu Darvish being sidelined for the entirety of the season recovering from Tommy John Surgery.
A.J. Preller has acknowledged many times that starting pitching will be the top need addressed this offseason, and that they will attack it hard via free agency or trade.
Padres should test Mets’ resolve with bold Kodai Senga trade push
Tim Britton of The Athletic entertained the idea of the Padres cracking a deal with one of the National League’s most disappointing teams this past season, missing the playoffs despite having the league’s second largest payroll.