The San Diego Padres starting rotation will look similar next season, but losing Dylan Cease to the Toronto Blue Jays in free agency left a big hole that the team has yet to fill.
Right now, the Padres’ starting rotation figures to include a combination of Nick Pivetta, Michael King, Joe Musgrove and Randy Vásquez. Yu Darvish also would have been in the mix, but he will miss the entire 2026 season after undergoing significant elbow surgery in November.
The Padres have potential internal options to round out the starting rotation, including JP Sears, Kyle Hurt, Matt Waldron and Triston McKenzie, but Bleacher Report’s Joel Reuter predicted the team would seek an external option and sign Arizona Diamondbacks 30-year-old pitcher Zac Gallen.
“The Padres have yet to make an outside addition to replace Dylan Cease in the rotation, and while the return of Joe Musgrove provides a boost, relying on Randy Vásquez and JP Sears to both occupy rotation spots is a risky approach,” Reuter wrote Monday. “If Zac Gallen ends up opting for a short-term deal to rebuild his value, he could be the perfect stopgap addition to this staff.”
Gallen is a former All-Star, but struggled this season despite striking out 175 batters, posting a 4.83 ERA across 33 starts. Similar to Cease, Gallen is an innings-eater who pitched 192 innings this season and has been a consistent pitcher for the Diamondbacks for over six seasons.
San Diego is a team built to win now, but it needs to improve its starting rotation to make a deep playoff run next season. Gallen could slot in as the Padres’ No. 3 starter behind Pivetta and King and would be a great short-term pitching option.
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