The San Diego Padres are on a quest to find a starting pitcher to anchor the starting rotation after right-hander Dylan Cease signed with the Toronto Blue Jays and righty Michael King elected free agency.
San Diego’s rotation has seemingly lost its two best starters on top of veteran right-hander Yu Darvish missing the entirety of the 2026 season after undergoing ulnar collateral ligament reconstruction surgery. Former All-Star right-hander Joe Musgrove will return to the rotation after missing all of 2025 with his own Tommy John surgery, but it may take him some time to get back to form.
There are several great free agent options available, like All-Star lefty Framber Valdez, but he won’t be cheap. Instead, the Padres might be more active in the trade market. A plethora of top starters have been rumored to be moved this offseason, but the Padres could have interest in an under-the-radar 2025 All-Star left-hander who came out of nowhere.
Kansas City Royals All-Star Kris Bubic had a shoulder injury that kept him out of action during the final months of the season, but he was dealing when he was on the mound. He will be a more affordable option than some of the other names garnering interest.
“The former first-round pick finally broke out last year, earning an All-Star bid with a sub-3.00 ERA and the peripherals to match,” ESPN’s Kiley McDaniel and Jeff Passan wrote Tuesday. “Then, he suffered a shoulder injury and didn't pitch in August or September. Any deal for Bubic is a bet on his health, and though Kansas City might have to tap into its rotation to get an outfield bat, he is perhaps the best combination of performance and affordability, questions notwithstanding.
“Bubic added a slider in 2025 to bridge the gap between his fastball, changeup and sweeper, and it helped him look like a frontline pitcher for 20 starts, even as his fastball velo decreased a tick due to his longer outings. He's not the same pitcher as fellow Royals lefty Cole Ragans, but a pretty similar situation (transitioning from reliever to starter with Kansas City in 2023) happened with him, and Ragans posted 4.9 WAR in his next season, en route to a fourth-place AL Cy Young finish in 2024.”
Bubic made 20 starts and pitched to an 8-7 record with a 2.55 ERA and 1.18 WHIP over 116.1 innings pitched. He struck out 116 batters and walked 39. Bubic excelled at keeping the ball in the ballpark, allowing just six home runs.
His health is a risk, but he would be a nice addition for San Diego.