The San Diego Padres were able to make strides when it came to re-signing Michael King to bolster their pitching, but they also need to continue to fill out their pitching depth as they have some issues with the unit that they need to be looking to adjust.
*Prediction*
The Padres could look at free agency to add another pitcher, but that also would lead to them signing someone who is a bit older and past the prime of their career. The Padres need to look to trade for a pitcher that better matches their timeline if they are going to advance as a team, and the pitcher they can look to trade for is MacKenzie Gore.
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The San Diego Padres’ main goal when it comes to their pitching needs to be finding more top-end talent. The Padres saw Dylan Cease depart in free agency and went on to sign with the Toronto Blue Jays. Yu Darvish is set to miss next season after having elbow surgery. And the Padres need to ease Joe Musgrove back in as he makes his return from Tommy John surgery.
The Padres do also have Nick Pivetta, but they need more beyond him, King, and Musgrove, and they can get that next quality starter with MacKenzie Gore.
With MacKenzie Gore, he has flashed his upside with being just 26 years old. Gore had a 4.17 ERA in 2025, and added on 1.353 WHIP, and 185 strikeouts. Gore has been around MLB for just four seasons, but he has just started making strides over the last two seasons. It is clear he is just now tapping into his potential, and with entering a winning culture like the Padres, it would help him in getting the most out of his talents while also helping propel San Diego further towards contention.