The San Diego Padres have an interesting dilemma on their hands as we near Spring Training next month.
San Diego has arguably the best bullpen in Major League Baseball. In 2025, that unit ranked first in ERA (3.06, 0.35 points better than second-best), WHIP (1.15), saves (49) and earned runs allowed (207, 24 less than second-best). The Padres’ shutdown ‘pen was also second in strikeouts (648), third in home runs allowed (56) and ninth in walks (241).
The statistics speak for themselves and it’s no secret that the Padres have several high-leverage relievers that strike fear into their opponents, even with the loss of star closer Robert Suarez.
Mason Miller, Jeremiah Estrada, Adrian Morejon and Jason Adam all feature high-velocity, swing-and-miss stuff that’s hard to come by.
San Diego has a problem, though. The starting rotation is a bit thin, even after bringing back right-hander Michael King on a three-year deal with opt-outs. MLB.com’s AJ Cassavell explained Friday that the Padres are weighing the pros and cons of dealing one or more stud relievers for starting pitching.
“Estrada is under team control through 2029. Stuff-wise, he has future closer potential that another team might covet,” Cassavell wrote. “Realistically, he’s the Padres’ fourth or fifth option right now. If they can find a mid-rotation starter with similar control, that’s a trade they’d have to consider, isn’t it? (Same holds true for [David] Morgan, though he’s less accomplished than Estrada and would presumably fetch less in a return.)
“[A.J.] Preller has said it time and again -- at the GM Meetings, at the Winter Meetings, at the Michael King press conference: He doesn’t want to see his bullpen go from elite to mediocre. And when you deal an arm like Morejon or Estrada -- particularly in an environment as fickle as a bullpen -- you risk doing exactly that.”
That puts the franchise in tough spot. Trading away a piece (or two) from your stellar bullpen to acquire a solid starting pitcher weakens your dominant unit but improves the rotation.
Preller even said that probably the biggest reason the team made it to the postseason in back-to-back seasons is because of that star-studded bullpen.
“Call it a tossup. On paper at least, it makes sense that if the Padres are going to make a trade, they’d deal from their rotation depth,” Cassavell added. “But Preller has been so adamant about not wanting to weaken his team’s biggest strength, it’s starting to feel like San Diego would need to be blown away by an offer.”
Expect the Padres to do something soon to address their needs.