The San Diego Padres starting rotation is easily the biggest question mark around the roster this season, and it could cause some major issues during the year. Multiple injuries to key arms have decimated this group, and it has left San Diego hoping for the best to open the new season.

Veteran Yu Darvish will miss the entire 2026 season due to injury, while right-hander Joe Musgrove is dealing with an injury setback in his return from Tommy John surgery. The Padres were able to retain right-hander Michael King in free agency, giving themselves some level of continuity.

The rotation has all sorts of concerns within it, and the Padres didn’t do much to address things during the offseason. However, it seems that it may not have been because of a lack of trying.

It has now been reported that San Diego made a run at an All-Star pitcher over the winter, who ended up signing a $115 million deal this offseason. That would be left-hander Framber Valdez, who joined the Detroit Tigers on a three-year deal in free agency.

According to The Athletic, San Diego pursued signing Valdez, even discussing long-term deals with the left-hander.

The team also tried to get right-handed veteran Merrill Kelly, but he decided to return to the Arizona Diamondbacks. Kelly cited the huge state taxes in the state of California as part of his decision to choose Arizona over the Padres.

But for Valdez, this could have changed everything for the Padres in the 2026 season. Valdez was arguably the best pitcher available in free agency this year, and he could have taken over as the ace of this staff.

With the Houston Astros last season, Valdez made 31 starts, putting up an ERA of 3.66. Valdez used a strong combination of solid strikeout numbers with a heavy dose of ground balls to fuel his results on the mound.

During his eight-year career, all with Houston, Valdez has emerged as one of the more reliable starters in the game. The left-hander consistently pitches deep into games, and the Padres could have transformed the rotation with him on the staff.

With the idea that San Diego went after a pitcher like Valdez, it could give some insight into how the team will approach the trade deadline this summer. Padres president of baseball operations A.J. Preller has never been shy about how aggressive he can be with the roster, and maybe there will be another blockbuster trade coming down the line.

But for now, the Padres will move forward with the guys that they have in the rotation. San Diego is hoping to stay afloat until the trade deadline, but that may be easier said than done.

Sign up to our free newsletter and follow us on Facebook and X/Twitter for the latest news