This Will Define Everything for the Padres Offseason...
Oct 20, 2026
This will determine everything for the San Diego Padres this offseason.
Let's talk contract status.
We talked bullpen yesterday.
I'm going to take a wider view
and set the table at everybody on the 40-man roster,
where they stand, contract status, arbitration, options.
It's a lot of confusing stuff as to who is a Padre,
who's going to be a Padre,
who could still be a Padre, depending on who picks what options up.
But I've got it all broken down for you
on this episode of Padres Digest.
what's going on.
I'm ready for you to put us back
with another episode of the show
that is just,
I don't care at this point
who wins the World Series.
I just want it to be over
so that we can get free agency started.
And I know there's talks
of a work stoppage
and that we've still got a minute
until we get back to
pitchers and catchers reporting.
But I'm optimistic
that the Padres are actually
in a pretty good spot
to reinvigorate
and reinvest in this rotation
specifically,
but in the broader picture of things,
get a lot of good moves done.
I hope that you are sharing that optimism
And if you do share that, I appreciate your pessimistic value.
If you want to like, subscribe, comment, share,
follow, it's always greatly appreciated.
Okay, hold on, folks.
We've got 40 players to get through.
We're going to get through in under 10 minutes.
We're going to give opinions on some of this.
I'm going to cue from you guys as we hop
into the comment section, starting with the pitchers.
Again, this is the 40-man roster, so this is going
to be beyond just the MLB roster, beyond the playoff roster.
or some of these guys might not even necessarily see them.
Up the lane on this discussion is not saying for sure
that they are going to be part of the Padres next season,
but being on the 40-man, they are in a special spot.
So Jason Adam, free agent.
I think that we should let him go
unless the market is just completely bottomed out for him
with his arm issues, in which case, okay, fine.
Give him a cheap deal, bring him back.
Johnny Brito, he's projected to be 800 grand
of salary arbitration.
I am so fine with taking him to salary arbitration.
I think he's going to get a low deal,
given that he spent last year recovering from an arm injury
and is somebody who, he's good,
but he does not have a demonstrative MLB service career
to lean back upon and be like, hey, I just made a ton of money.
Walker Buehler, going to be a free agent.
I think that Buehler is a high priority
for the Padres to re-sign this year.
I think that Buehler had a wonderful bounce back year,
but not necessarily like did
so well that he's going to command 25 million a year
a way high ERA to start the season
then a low ERA to close out the season so kind of split the
difference for what Walker Buehler could be this coming year
and that's where i think we have a
absolutely fantastic opportunity for the Padres
to grab Walker Buehler for like give me three years
you know seven million
or something like that a year Darvish he did not take his salary last
year they have talked a couple times about him whether
or not he is going to return we will not
know probably until spring training
or until like the day the season starts if he's going to be back
i have optimism for him though Griffin Canning mutual option
for five million with a 1.5 million
dollar buyout i hope they take that buyout
and move on from Griffin Canning and i suppose devil's
advocate argument there would be it was uh
an incomplete season for him he was recovering from
his Achilles injury and if he gets a full off season
to work with the Padres I could be talked
into if he is going to be like our five starter
um maybe sure Jeremiah Estrada he's eligible for
arbitration 1.3 million would be the projection i hope it comes
in lower than that given that he
missed a ton of the season and is still questionable
for next season with shoulder impingement Lucas
Giolito he's on the 60-day IL mutual option
for 8 million with a 1.5 million dollar buyout i hope
the Padres take that buyout
and just move on from him i did not find any of it impressive and i
thought the fact that we basically got zero updates on his recovery
and rehab last year
kind of sent a message that the Padres really just weren't
that interested in getting him back
or if he did really miss all of last season basically after
a couple of starts then he's
busted and he's broken
and i don't i don't want that anymore Kyle Hart to club option for 2.5
with a 200,000 buyout now that is a cheap buyout
but i also really like Kyle Hart as an up and
down shuttle man move him to the bullpen have him
spot start have him open some games have him eat
some innings for 2.5 for a lefty i'm
so down with it Garrett Hawkins minor league contract he could
though very easily be one of those people to fill
the bullpen roles if Maury Hone and Adam some of
those other guys move on so i think that that's somebody
that yes he's on the 40 man and that's
what i'm saying he might not make the opening day
but i think that we will see him make his MLB
debut Brian Hoerig eligible for arbitration
the projection there is at 800 grand but i would be
curious if that isn't going to be lower given uh
that he just missed almost the entirety uh of the
season with a flexor tendon surgery that he had
to get moving on to some of the last uh pitchers
Michael King player option most likely he is going
to decline that and look for a longer term deal i
would heavily encourage the Padres to sign
that to a longer term deal Yuki Matsui player option for the
next two seasons i think that Yuki is i would put him
at 90 plus percent to tap in on that deal i
think that Yuki is probably somebody
who is going to take that deal banking on and this is just me
guessing reading the tea leaves
but he's going to probably bank that take that deal banking on that
one of Robert Suarez or Jason Adam is going to move on from the Padres
and that Yuki can then be part
of the seventh guaranteed part
of the seventh eighth nine Mason Miller this will be an interesting
one projected at that eight million dollar range
for arbitration i will be curious when they go
ahead and get a bigger Mason Miller deal done granted it
is not a priority if he has arbitration
years still to go he's under control
but it would be somebody that i'm like we should just get this
conversation out of the way
and maybe take our opportunity to be like hey man you weren't perfect
in the playoffs so how about we we lock in something
that's not like us having to retroactively
uh pay you all uh Vladimir Guerrero Jr casey
Mize's free agent not eligible for qualifying offer also
not eligible for any interest from me in being a Padre ever again.
Bye, dude.
Robert Suarez, he's going to be a free agent.
He's estimated to get $90 million
in the total value of his contract, it seems to be.
I am 60-40 on wanting him.
I would like him back, but I do not need to overspend on Morihan
in order to limit us on the starting pitching.
David Morgan, pre-arbitration, he is going to be back.
We're at the final year of Joe Musgrove's $20 million deal.
I will be curious what happens at the end of this deal.
If Joe Musgrove comes back
and has a decent season in the starting rotation
or in the bullpen, or in general has a good season for the Padres,
do they sign him one more time to finish off
his career in a diminished contract situation,
or is this a mutual parting of the ways?
ajuan Peralta, player option for $4.5 million, is going to kill us.
That is a stupid deal.
Juan will absolutely cash in on that,
even though he did not make the MLB roster in the playoffs.
I don't see why you would turn down $4.5 million in your late 30s.
Nick Pavetta, he's got the club.
This converted from a player to a club option.
I really hope that the Padres take this club option.
I don't need to renegotiate long-term with Pavetta,
but I really think that $14 and $18 million for the next two years
sounds like a great, like, let's do those two years
and then re-evaluate where we're at.
um robbie ray is a free agent uh i'm
not that interested in making any offer for him
and the qualifying offer means that we if we reach a certain threshold
but he goes with someone else
we would then get a draft pick
so no qualifying offer for him either i'm fine with it bradley
rodriguez pre-arbitration he will for sure
be back jp sears 2.8 million in arbitration would
be a lot for jp given that he did not really contribute
as much as we had heard according
to ruben to be able to say that he's a dog
but still be interesting to see because he could be
somebody who ultimately helps us at that if 2.8
is for him to be a kyle hart or if they elect to
buy out kyle hart and jp sears takes that spot of the shuttle up
and down uh fifth starter into the
bullpen eats some innings i'm here
for it Hunter Stratton another guy in the minors who we will
hopefully see fill some of those bullpen innings
this year at that cheap value spot Randy Vasquez
is going to potentially be an arbitration
um in his final pre-arbitration year maybe in the super
two depending on some labor negotiation stuff
but nonetheless is back and under contract run randy
run the catchers we've talked about them
a fair amount Campuso this this article has him down
to 1.7 um there had been some two million dollar ranges
that i'd seen for mean at the 2.6 i think
would be way overpriced
for what we need Rodolfo Duran Ethan Salas both pre-arbitration that is
becoming something that i like more and more
or a Campy Duran and Salas combination to start the
season is becoming more and more of my concept
of team-friendly interest in the contract catcher
wise infielders some of these are just where we're
at and with limited to no discussion or debate
you know Zander still in the mix for six more years
of that contract Jake still in the mix for
four more years of that contract Manny
on that six-year tie France the one that stands out there
we need to get that deal done more than anybody else available
to talk about in this infield
Mason McCoy pre-arbitration kind of had forgotten about
his overall availability Sun Moon Song um
and Gage Workman Gage Workman the lowest tier
of that probably not going to be in the mix
for an infield spot this season projection 6.5
for Gavin Sheets that'll be I'll be really curious
to watch that one, given that he has a plantar fasciitis situation.
And if we sign Ty France to
a four-year deal or whatever to finish out
his career as the Padres' first baseman, that kind
of leaves Gavin Sheets as just a DH bench option.
And I am not that set on spending $6.5 million
on a left-handed DH bench option that has a plantar fascia issue.
Outfielders, Jace Bowen,
Dustin Harris both pre-arbitration I
so here for getting cheap value out of both of them Ramon
Lauriano will be a very interesting one he had
his hip surgery it was like that's not his fault that
he missed out on the season he was having
an okay year he had a really good year for us the year
before he is a veteran righty bat kind of I think
if we can get a good cheap you know show me prove
me kind of deal and mix him like
those three guys Jace Bowen Dustin Harris Ramon Lauriano maybe
Samad Taylor as our backup rotational outfielders I'm super duper fine
with that Merrill nine-year
deal I think that he should be the inspiration
for a Mason Miller-esque deal if at all possible
Rancho he will be a free agent it
was a very small sample size from him last year but nonetheless
was impressive and fun to watch
so I am in here I if you if you want to have a conversation
with me about hey we can combine um you know instead
of bringing back Ramon Lauriano we can
bring back Rancho and him and Samad
and Harry like we can do that same platoon and that allows
us to spend more on the pitching I'm here
for it I'm down for it Tatis good on you brother at 20
million we're gonna have to watch that go up every single year
for the remaining of that contract so
let's get some big time value out of that and then
the final group here to talk about thank
you for everyone for sticking around through all
this is the designated hitter and Andújar
is a mutual option with a 2.5 million dollar buyout
that i like this would be one where i
would be curious if they see uh Gavin Sheets Miguel
Andújar i gotta let Austin Hayes go
sorry dude i hate to be a hater but bye uh
and Wag Will Wagner's whatever for me on that one
um Andújar and Sheets if those two combined
at just over 14 million are a
a value play of two veterans that one's
a righty one's a lefty they can combine at the DH
and back up in the field a little bit
and then allow us to spend the rest of available money
on starting pitching
and not have to play the full open free agency market and overspend on
some guys okay i'm down i don't think it's
that great of a like it doesn't upgrade our offense
in any great capacity but it doesn't hurt it just kind
of middle of the road level enthusiasm for
that okay thank you for sticking around everybody
that is all 40 contracts and kind of sets the
table for where we are at in terms of not like
not other than the starting pitching not an insane
amount of turnover flexibility room
or options to go with and we still have to wait and figure out
what the labor negotiations are going to come up with
in terms of a salary cap.
So take that all in mind.
Let's talk some guys over the next couple of weeks,
see what the Padres make some moves on,
where they find some value
and where they decide to make a splash.
Like, subscribe, comment, share, follow.
Have a great rest of your day.
Go Padres.
Talk to you guys soon.

