Padres Start Free Agency By Signing Ex-Astros Pitcher

The San Diego Padres are beginning free agency with a desperate need for starting pitching. 

In 2026, the Padres used a group that included names such as Griffin Canning, German Marquez, JP Sears, Matt Waldron and Lucas Giolito. 

Walker Buehler ended up pitching well, but there is no secret that starting pitchers are needed in San Diego, especially with questions swirling about Michael King's future as he is in the open market. 

On Tuesday, AJ Preller kicked things off by signing a pitcher, although it wasn't a splashy move. 

The Padres signed Ryan Weiss, who last pitched in the majors for the Houston Astros. According to Jesse Rogers of ESPN, Weiss signed a one-year deal with an option for 2028. 

Weiss turns 30 years old in December, and he appeared in 9 games for the Astros, going 0-3 with a 7.62 ERA in 26 innings. 

He finished the season with Triple-A Sugar Land, and he wound up registering a 1.37 ERA with 24 strikeouts in 19 2/3 innings in his final four outings, giving San Diego some promise for the future. 

Weiss had spent the past two seasons in Korea before signing a contract with the Astros, and he projects as a piece who could make the back-end of the rotation. 

He could also start in Triple-A and be insurance for injuries, and with questions about Joe Musgrove and Yu Darvish's health, nobody knows what San Diego's rotation will look like. 

The Astros declined Weiss' option after the 2026 campaign, and now he lands with San Diego in the first of what should be a flurry of moves at the MLB GM Meetings. 

The Padres reportedly are making a run at top-end free agent Tarik Skubal, and that would be a massive boost to the rotation if San Diego can put together an attractive contract offer for the 2025 American League Cy Young winner. 

King is a free agent, and Nick Pivetta is also in free agency, so there is a lot of work to do for San Diego to add some depth to the starting rotation. 

Weiss is an interesting project, but this is just the start of what could be a busy few days for Preller and company at the GM Meetings. 

Maybe Skubal is next, maybe King returns, and maybe Pivetta returns. With AJ Preller, you just never know what will happen around the Padres clubhouse.