Yet again, the Padres made it back to the playoffs in 2026. But heading into the offseason, two of the team’s strengths from last year must be addressed thanks to pending free agents, including Ty France and Adrian Morejon.
Biggest needs for Padres
On October 29, nine players from the Padres’ 2026 roster went to free agency. Aside from rentals Casey Mize and Robbie Ray, Adrian Morejon and Jason Adam were two of the club’s best relievers over the past several seasons. Plus, Ty France had a resurgence in 2026 for the Padres.
From a surface-level viewpoint, finding a replacement at first for France, or bringing him back, would be an obvious starting point for San Diego.
The Padres have cycled through various options at first over the years, including Jake Cronenworth, Luis Arraez, & Ryan O’Hearn. But France wound up being, arguably, the most productive of them all. He hit 21, 47 extra-base hits, and finished 17th in the Majors in wOBA (.373) this season (min 375+ PA).
Production like that will be tough to replace internally.
Bullpen help, given the possible losses of Adam and Morejon, is also something to look for.
San Diego’s had the luxury of having a deep bullpen over the years, which helped the club notch three straight playoff appearances and two NLDS appearances in that span.
The loss of Morejon is a big one. A 27-year-old (believe it or not), Morejon was a great matchup option against lefties but also had a starter’s arsenal, making him a strong option against opposite-hitters, too. This past season, Morejon finished tied with Cade Smith for the third-most strikeouts (107) for relievers.
And then there’s Adam, who can get hitters out with the fastball, changeup, or slider.
Thanks to the likes of David Morgan, Bradgley Rodriguez, and closer Mason Miller, San Diego’s bullpen should still be fine to a certain extent in 2027, should neither Adam nor Morejon return. But their losses would be significant.
Lastly, the Padres are going to need a starter or two. Aside from Mize and Ray, Michael King also went to free agency.
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