Happy New Year, Padres fans!

With the start of 2026, baseball fans’ minds turn to the countdown to Spring Training and Opening Day of the season. For the San Diego Padres, there is still a lot to be settled before the start of Spring Training in about six weeks. President of baseball operations/general manager A.J. Preller gave Padres fans an early holiday gift by signing starter Michael King to a three-year, $75 million contract that only guarantees one year of commitment but is an affordable $9 million maximum for 2026.

The organization also added to the bench by signing Korean infielder Sung-Mun Song to a four-year, $15 million contract that should provide bench depth at the very least. Depending on how Song adapts to MLB pitching, the versatile infielder could become a super utility or even an everyday option.

There have been a handful of players signed to minor league contracts, some with Spring Training invites, that could prove to be useful to the team in 2026. There is no doubt that more of those will be coming before the team opens the season in March. Although many of those signees in the past have disappointed, there is always the chance the Padres get another player of the quality of Gavin Sheets by taking fliers on these players.

Without knowing what the roster will look like on Opening Day (March 26, 2026), here are my thoughts on some New Year’s resolutions for the 2026 season. With first-year manager Craig Stammen and his coaching staff handling a star-filled team and inheriting a winning culture, hopes and expectations should remain high for the new season.

Spring Training 2026 will be a World Baseball Classic spring and opportunities will be more prolonged for the unproven and new players coming into the organization. With multiple members of the usual roster playing in the WBC, more players will get more time to show what they can do. The list of non-roster invitees will likely be long because of the WBC. Watching the Padres try out the potential hidden gems that Preller has spent the offseason mining is always interesting.

Hope should remain high for a team with many outstanding players. New manager Stammen has a talented team to help him work through his rookie transition. It’s a new season on the horizon and there is always hope.