Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images
The Padres need more starting pitchers. A trade for Tampa Bay starter Drew Rasmussen might be the perfect side dish to Padres fans’ plates this weekend.
Yu Darvish will miss the entire 2026 season. Dylan Cease and Michael King very likely are not coming back. That leaves Nick Pivetta, Joe Musgrove, fresh off Tommy John surgery, and Randy Vasquez as the only viable rotation options on the roster heading into 2026.
Needless to say, it would behoove the Padres to make a few moves to add to their starting rotation.
With this being Thanksgiving week, let’s go through what would be a delicious treat for Padres fans to find on their plate- a trade for a proven MLB starter coming off of an All-Star season.
Drew Rasmussen had to battle to get back onto the field in 2025. He spent a big chunk of time on the injured list in parts of two seasons in 2023 and 2024. Finally healthy for all of 2025, he took off like a rocket.
Setting a new career high with 150 innings, the Pacific Northwest native had a breakout year for the Rays. Among pitchers with at least 150 innings in 2025, he was eighth in ERA and ninth in ERA+.
That earned him his first AL All-Star selection and even finished ninth in AL Cy Young voting.
The Rays operate differently from most teams. They tend to trade away players a year too early versus too late. Rasmussen is now 30 years old and is set to be a free agent following the 2026 season unless the team picks up his $8 million option. Given how valuable he was in 2025, that would be an absolute steal if he can replicate that success in 2026. Essentially, the Padres could acquire him for two seasons for less than $10 million per season.
It seems like this is a prime spot for Tampa to strike a trade. And the Padres desperately need another viable starter if they are to compete in the National League once more. And Preller likely is once again operating under a limited budget, especially as the team explores a possible sale.
This seems like a proper move, given his success as a starter and very cheap price tag.
He would slide into the San Diego rotation perfectly, making a strong trio with Pivetta and Musgrove. Vasquez is a solid option as a fourth or fifth starter, but San Diego can’t afford to go into the season with him as their third-best starter.
Of course, then there’s the discussion of the package headed back to Tampa. This would be a trick deal, given Rasmussen’s team option, coupled with a limited track record as a successful, healthy starter. There is some inherent risk for San Diego.
The Rays likely want at least one MLB-level pitcher and a young prospect they believe they can develop.
Perhaps the Padres can dangle reliever Jeremiah Estrada and draw from the strength and depth of the bullpen. Then Jagger Haynes, a lefty starting pitching prospect, could be enticing as well. And one more lower-level prospect.
Trade proposal
Padres get: SP Drew Rasmussen
Rays get: RP Jeremiah Estrada, SP Jagger Haynes (SD #10 prospect), and Romeo Sanabria (SD #21 prospect)
Native of Escondido, CA. Lived in San Diego area for 20 years. Padres fan since childhood (mid-90s). I have been writing since 2014. I currently live near Seattle, WA and am married to a Seattle sports girl. I wore #19 on my high school baseball team for Tony Gwynn. I am a stats and sports history nerd. I attended BYU on the Idaho campus. I also love Star Wars.
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