The San Diego Padres need more pitching but haven't been able to have the normal offseason the franchise is used to having under General Manager A.J. Preller.
Despite having a slow offseason due to the possible sale of the franchise, the San Diego Padres still have a team that will compete for a playoff spot.
In its current state, though, the team probably won’t be giving the Los Angeles Dodgers a run for their money in the National League West division. That’s because General Manager/President of Baseball Operations A.J. Preller hasn’t been able to have his typical offseason where he spends a ton of money and/or trades his top prospects for a superstar. Preller is crafty but it doesn’t seem like he’s going to be able to make a blockbuster move heading into the season.
San Diego’s starting pitching depth is still thin, first base is open and they could use another outfielder or two. But it seems like the Padres may stay internal to fill those positions, despite their old first baseman Luis Arraez still being available with relatively no market.
Two-time All-Star lefty Framber Valdez would fit in with the Padres, but he might be too expensive for the Padres at this time. There are several solid mid-tier starters that are available but none of them are being linked to San Diego.
But there is a legend and future Hall of Famer who is unsigned and wants to continue to pitch despite his ripe age of 41 that has been linked to the Padres.
Three-time Cy Young winner Max Scherzer has informed teams that he wants to pitch in Major League Baseball this upcoming season and is ready to sign but isn’t in a rush.
“We have confirmation that Scherzer intends to pitch in 2026. Unfortunately, that's really all we have,” MLB.com’s Shanthi Sepe-Chepuru and Manny Randhawa wrote Monday. Speaking to The Athletic last week, Scherzer himself clarified that while he is ready to sign, he isn't in any rush and would be content to wait until after Opening Day for an opportunity to open up with a preferred club -- which clubs have made that list and whether there's mutual interest remains a mystery, but it's likely he'd lean towards a club with which he could end his career with a championship. If a reunion with the [Toronto] Blue Jays isn't in the cards, perhaps that could be the Padres, [Philadelphia] Phillies or [Detroit] Tigers.”
Scherzer had quite the season last year. He made 17 starts and went 5-5 with a career-worst 5.19 ERA and 1.29 WHIP for Toronto in the regular season. In the playoffs, Scherzer made the American League Championship Series roster and won his only start against the Seattle Mariners.
He then made the World Series roster and had the daunting task of pitching twice against the Dodgers…and pitched exceptionally well. Scherzer even started Game 7, allowing just one run on four hits and one walk while striking out three in 4.1 innings.
Given how thin the Padres are in the starting rotation, one bad injury to Michael King or Nick Pivetta could prompt Preller to sign Scherzer for the remainder of the season.