The San Diego Padres need to bolster their starting rotation after losing Dylan Cease, who signed a seven-year, $210 million contract with the Toronto Blue Jays in free agency.
Despite boasting one of MLB’s highest payrolls, the Padres have a clear need for pitching. Though San Diego lost Cease in free agency, the team did bring back 30-year-old Michael King, who has developed into a great rotation option after being transitioned into a starting role.
The Padres have a solid foundation with King, but could use more reliable arms for their rotation. MLB.com’s Andrew Simon believes one player who could be a perfect fit for the Padres is 36-year-old Blue Jays hurler Chris Bassitt.
“Even after bringing back Michael King, the Padres have to figure out a way to not only piece together the innings to get through the 2026 season, but also to fight for a playoff spot,” Simon wrote Wednesday. “With Cease in Toronto and Yu Darvish sidelined, following last summer’s trade of Stephen Kolek and Ryan Bergert to Kansas City, roughly half of the team’s 2025 starts are now out of the picture for ‘26.
“A big-ticket free-agent solution would seem unlikely, and while you can never rule out A.J. Preller pulling off a significant trade, signing Bassitt would make a lot of sense as an alternative. The 36-year-old won’t command a massive deal at this point, but he just reached the 170-inning mark for the fourth straight season, and has been roughly league-average or better by ERA+ every year since 2018. That sounds like a nice insurance policy.”
Bassitt has been an extremely reliable starter for the past seven seasons, logging 25 or more starts every year except for the shortened 2020 season. Signing the 36-year-old would give the Padres a solid starter for their rotation without a long-term commitment.
The Padres need to bolster their starting rotation if they want to improve for next season, and Bassitt could be one of the best options available.
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