Padres roster review: Jeremiah Estrada – San Diego Union-Tribune
JEREMIAH ESTRADA
Position(s): Right-handed pitcher
Bats / Throws: Both / Right
2026 opening day age: 27
Height / Weight: 6-foot-1 / 185 pounds
How acquired: Via waivers from the Chicago Cubs in November 2023
Contract status: Will not be arbitration-eligible until 2027; will not be a free agent until 2030
fWAR in 2025: 1.0
Key 2025 stats: 4-5, 3.45 ERA, 3 saves, 30 holds, 108 strikeouts, 27 walks, 1.16 WHIP, .216 opponent average, 73 innings (77 games)
STAT TO NOTE
.882 — The slugging percentage that Estrada allowed over eight games (39 plate appearances) against the rival Dodgers. Estrada allowed five of his career-high 12 home runs against the Dodgers — including two to Teoscar Hernandez — as his opponent slugging percentage surged from .277 in 2024 to .390 last year, although there was some bad luck involved as opponents’ expected slugging percentage (.325) was significantly lower and ranked in the top 9 percentile of the league.
TRENDING
Idle — A former first-rounder cast aside by the Cubs, Estrada posted a 2.95 ERA in 2024 and was tied for seventh among all pitchers with a 121 Pitching Plus rating, an all-in one pitch quality metric that essentially measures a pitcher’s “stuff.” By that metric, Estrada was even better in 2025 (123), even if the results weren’t as kind. His batting average on balls in play (BABIP) rose slightly from .292 to .303 from 2024 to 2025 but Estrada also allowed more damage than expected, based on stuff (see stat to note), especially against the Dodgers. That said, Estrada entrenched himself in the Padres’ victory formation as part of the team’s “Four Horsemen,” as dubbed by manager Mike Shildt. The other three — Robert Suarez, Adrián Morejón and Jason Adam — were named to the All-Star team, but Estrada was every bit as important to protecting leads, even after Mason Miller was acquired to further strengthen the bullpen. While Estrada allowed three times as many homers as he did in 2024, he topped 13 strikeouts per nine innings for the second year, lowered his walk rate a tick to 3.3 per nine innings and threw a career-high 73 innings. That helped add up to 30 holds, tied for the fifth most in the majors behind only the Brewers’ Abner Uribe, the Guardians’ Hunter Gaddis, the Reds’ Tony Santillan and Tyler Rogers. Estrada pitched twice in the NL Wild Card Series against his old Cubs friends, striking out two and allowing a run on two hits and two walks in 2⅔ innings.
2026 OUTLOOK
Estrada has established himself as one of the premier set-up men in the majors. He, Morejón and Adam, when he’s back from his quad injury, will help first-year manager Craig Stammen get leads to Miller, who will be in his first full year as the Padres’ full-time closer. Estrada also figures to pick up a handful of saves throughout the year.
San Diego Padres’ Jeremiah Estrada on Wednesday, Feb. 19, 2025. (K.C. Alfred / The San Diego Union-Tribune)
ROSTER RANKINGS
10. RHP Jeremiah Estrada
11. RHP Jason Adam
12. 2B Jake Cronenworth
13. RHP Joe Musgrove
14. RHP Randy Vasquez
15. OF Gavin Sheets
16. LHP JP Sears
17. RHP Yu Darvish
18. RHP Bradgley Rodriguez
19. RHP David Morgan
20. C Freddy Fermin
21. LHP Wandy Peralta
22. C Luis Campusano
23. LHP Yuki Matsui
24. INF Sung-Mun Song
25. RHP Matt Waldron
26. OF Bryce Johnson
27. RHP Ron Marinaccio
28. RHP Bryan Hoeing
29. LHP Kyle Hart
30. RHP Jhony Brito
31. INF Will Wagner
32. OF Tirso Ornelas
33. RHP Garrett Hawkins
34. RHP Miguel Mendez
35. RHP Daison Acosta
36. RHP Ty Adcock
37. RHP Alek Jacob
38. INF Mason McCoy
RevContent Feed