Padres' 2027 payroll sits near $193M ($215.4M luxury-tax estimate), but the real limit belongs to new ownership. With the CBA expiring Dec. 1, A.J. Preller's spending room is still a blank. A $220M budget leaves about $27M. 💰
Padres need starting pitching this offseason, but one writer argues they shouldn't chase Tarik Skubal. Top free agents rarely pick San Diego, and A.J. Preller's bargain finds like Michael King and Nick Pivetta have worked better. 🎯
Ethan Salas, kept through years of Padres blockbusters, is shaping up as a possible long-term answer at catcher. The argument: before A.J. Preller trades the next top prospect, weigh the cheap, steady production a homegrown catcher could provide. Salas still has to deliver. 🧢
Bowden projects Michael King at 4 years/$118M versus 5 years/$140M for Freddy Peralta. That's only $1.5M less per year for Peralta, and one more season. These are projections, but they hint the Padres may be better off re-signing a known quantity. 💰
Padres prospect Justin DeCriscio is building a case as a future bench piece. He climbed to Double-A San Antonio this season and now has a .356 OBP in the Arizona Fall League, with praise for his shortstop defense. Versatility is the next assignment. 🧤
Padres' NLDS exit looks better as Brewers near a World Series sweep: San Diego is Milwaukee's only postseason loss, and no game was decided by more than two runs. Close, but the roof cable and a bases-loaded walk in Game 2 kept it from being more. 🔒
Padres Hot Tub brings back Union-Tribune beat reporter Kevin Acee, a year after his last appearance, to review the Padres' 2026 season and preview the coming offseason with Craig Elsten and Raphie Cantor. 🛁
Padres gave 20-year-old Japanese righty Tatsuya Nogami a $300,000 minor league deal, skipping NPB entirely. He struck out 54 in 25 1/3 innings in college semi-hardball, and now faces a regulation ball and pro hitters. ⚾
Speculation: NPB's Carter Stewart Jr. could fit the Padres' 2027 rotation, which faces uncertainty with Michael King and Nick Pivetta possibly leaving. He's pitched as a Nick Martinez-style swingman option with upside, and Preller has looked overseas before. 🔍
Padres prospects are making noise in the Arizona Fall League. OF Alex McCoy (No. 26 prospect) has a .989 OPS and four homers, one shy of the AFL lead, including a two-run walk-off blast for Peoria. RHP Francis Peña is also highlighted. 🔥
Signing Tarik Skubal is still a long shot, but it would show how far Padres ownership will go with this core. ESPN's Kiley McDaniel projects roughly eight years and $355 million, and ranks San Diego the top sleeper bidder. Big swing, bigger commitment. ⚾
Ex-Padres prospect Robert Gasser, sent to Milwaukee in the 2022 Josh Hader trade, starts Game 3 of the World Series with the Brewers up 2-0 on the Rays. He's allowed one run in nine postseason innings, and that run came against San Diego. ⚾
Padres' thin farm system should push ownership to spend this winter, per the argument. Biggest needs are first base and left-handed relief; free agency could fill them while preserving prospects, with Ethan Salas and Tucker Musgrove the only top-10 names near 2027 help. 💰
Yankees righty Luis Gil is pitched as a Padres trade target, not a done deal. The 2024 AL Rookie of the Year has slipped through injuries, but the idea is that Ruben Niebla could fix him as A.J. Preller rebuilds the rotation. 🔧
Padres offseason watch: Michael King's $28M option (with $5M buyout) and Yuki Matsui's opt-out could create holes, while Jake Cronenworth and Xander Bogaerts, after down 2026 seasons, are speculative trade or roster-shuffle candidates. Nothing is confirmed. 🔍
Padres prospect Tucker Musgrove fanned 68 in 34 1/3 innings in 2026, but walks are a concern. The argument: give him a real bullpen shot in 2027 before guaranteeing money to another veteran reliever. Strikeouts: elite. Command: pending. 🎯
Padres prospect Alex McCoy leads Peoria with four homers and 11 RBI in the AFL, including a 118.2 mph blast, the league's top exit velocity this season. He also leads the team with 17 strikeouts. Javelinas sit third at 9-7. 💥
Padres' backloaded deals keep buying short-term flexibility while pushing decisions down the road. Pivetta's 2027 club option ($14M) and King's opt-out after 2026 (salary jumps from $5M to $28M) leave A.J. Preller reworking the rotation again. 🔄
Tarik Skubal has been rumored as a possible Padres target, and it would fit the new owners' push to show commitment. But a reported $400M-plus price could be steep for a team that also needs rotation and lineup help, with King, Morejon and France potentially leaving. 🤔
Padres 7th-round pick Joe Tiroly went deep seven times in his first 22 pro games, hitting .321 for Single-A Lake Elsinore, which won the California League title. Unranked, but 12 of his 27 hits went for extra bases. One to watch in 2027. 👀
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