The New Yorker

There is a clear need for the San Diego Padres to add starting pitching in the coming months as they prepare for the 2026 season. 

At the present moment, the San Diego Padres starting pitching staff is full of question marks.

Michael King signed with the club earlier this month for three years and $75 million. His addition helps solidify the group, but as a whole, there is still uncertainty about this staff.

King, Joe Musgrove, Nick Pivetta, and likely Randy Vasquez make up the top four on the staff. King and Musgrove are returning from injury in 2025, and each will need to prove health in the spring to move forward. Nick Pivetta is coming off his best season in the major leagues, and some expect regression in his numbers. Vasquez enjoyed a breakout of sorts in 2025, but he is not a given to improve in 2026, let alone replicate his numbers. Then there is Yu Darvish, who is out for the season and questionable to ever pitch again.

In the minors, there is no phenom on the cusp of making it to the majors. The team’s best pitching prospects, Kruz Schoolcraft, Humberto Cruz, and Kash Mayfield, are all under the age of 20 and years away from major league service time. Some other minor league pitchers could make a mark in 2026, but nobody stands out as a given to contribute.

Jhony Brito and Bryan Hoeing are returning from injury. Each may start the season slowly as they get their legs under them. Matt Waldron and JP Sears both suffered disappointing 2025 seasons. Each may be a factor to some degree, but they are certainly not a sure thing. San Diego will need these men to step up.

The Padres will likely need to add one or two veteran arms before spring training starts. The issue- the Padres seem to be handcuffed with their spending.

There are no indications that they are maxed out, but their actions dictate that spending money may be a problem. The Padres’ payroll is over $200 million, and fans cannot complain about spending too much. The real problem is that the team is invested heavily in a handful of players. If the team can shed payroll, they may gain flexibility in filling the holes on the roster. If they cannot move the contracts of Xander Bogaerts, Jake Cronenworth, Yuki Matsui, or Wandy Peralta, they will likely be frugal again with their spending come February and March.

Credit: NBC 7

Last year, the Padres signed Connor Joe, Jason Heyward, Yuli Gurriel, and Martin Maldonado for over $4.5 million.

None of this group made it through the complete season, as the Padres basically ate money for each player to go away. This was not the best usage of money, as San Diego signed several players who were clearly done in the league. Only Joe stayed in the game as the Reds signed him after the Padres released him.

With little financial flexibility, the Padres will need to do their homework in bringing in relevant pitchers at a bargain rate. The other option is to trade yet more prospects in hopes of attaining a pitcher who is under team control for a season or two and not making top dollar. Even then, the Padres would still need to pay a decent salary to said player, as they would be arbitration-eligible.

There is no easy fix for the Padres’ rotation needs. They must either shed some salary to sign a free agent of value. Or must trade prospects for young pitching who could develop further under the tutelage of Ruben Niebla. Hinging the season on the current starting staff is risky. They just do not have the arms to make noise in the playoffs.

With all this said, there is the chance the Padres just bite the bullet and surpass the next payroll threshold. If they invest more money, they could retain the current roster and add pitching without damaging the prospect capital. The Seidler family does not look like they intend to spend any more money, though, so this is a far-fetched concept.

Ultimately, the Padres may need to invest more money to finally hoist a World Series Trophy.

The hard work is done as the Padres are more than relevant in the league. The fans are coming in droves as the San Diego Padres are the envy of all the smaller-market teams in the league. There is no doubt the Padres will continue to draw fans and compete even if no further additions are made to this roster. They are built to win. The team is exciting to watch.

The pitching staff needs to be addressed, though. There is no sugar coating it.

Hopefully, A.J. Preller and his staff have a few tricks up their sleeve. There is time, but work must be done.

James was born and raised in America’s Finest City. He is a passionate baseball fan with even more passion towards his hometown Padres. James has written about the Padres and their prospects for over a decade. He also writes about San Diego State as well as other local sports. James is the Editor-In-Chief of EastVillageTimes.com. Always striving to bring you the highest quality in San Diego Sports News. Original content, with original ideas, that’s our motto. Enjoy.

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