Facing a depleted rotation, the Padres turn to No. 5 prospect Miguel Mendez. His triple-digit fastball and sharp slider could be San Diego's answer.
One of baseball’s worst-kept secrets is that the San Diego Padres are looking for help in their starting rotation. They were able to resign right-hander Michael King to a three-year, $75 million deal, but failed to keep Dylan Cease, lost Yu Darvish to injury, and are reportedly open to trading away their ace, Nick Pivetta.
Given the unique and unfavorable financial situation the Padres are faced with this offseason, general A.J. Preller is going to have to work his magic to strengthen his starting rotation. If Preller is unable to land enough rotational depth via free agency or the trade market this offseason, San Diego may need to look internally.
Their No. 5 prospect, right-hander Miguel Mendez, could be just that for the Padres. Mendez has been one of San Diego’s few top prospects who haven’t been included in one of Preller’s many trades.
Mendez signed with the Padres out of the Dominican Republic back in 2021 and has been in the organization ever since. Now at 23 years old, Mendez looks closer than ever to making his MLB debut, and it comes just as the Padres need it most.
San Diego added Mendez to its 40-man roster ahead of the Rule 5 Draft to keep teams from nabbing the budding pitcher. It’s no surprise that the Padres weren’t willing to take the risk of letting Mendez become available, as he had an outstanding 2025 season spent across Single-A, High-A, and Double-A.
In 21 starts across the three levels, Mendez posted a 3.22 ERA, striking out 118 batters in 95 innings. His 2.62 strikeouts per walk emphasized Mendez’s improved control in 2025, something that had previously been questionable. What isn’t questionable, however, is the effectiveness of Mendez’s fastball.
His four-seamer has reached triple digits, but still provides great value even when it sits more towards the 96-97 mph range. Mendez complements his fastball with a late-breaking slider that works against both right-handed and left-handed hitters. His change-up still needs improvement, but with the break Mendez gets on his slider, there’s reason to believe he can improve the effectiveness of his third pitch.
Preller has high praise for Mendez, hinting at a possible call-up next season for the pitcher. Depending on how the rest of the offseason plays out for San Diego and its effectiveness at finding rotational depth, Mendez’s chance in the bigs could come sooner than later.
“He definitely put himself on the radar in terms of the [40-man] roster and Spring Training,” Preller said at the Winter Meetings. “He’s somebody that if he’s able to take another step from a development standpoint this year, like he did last year, he’ll be somebody at some point that could put himself in position for Petco.”