When it comes to the realm of unpredictability, few embody it better than Padres General Manager A.J. Preller. The gun-slinging executive has garnered a reputation for striking at any given moment. Whether through an acquisition via free agency or a multi-player blockbuster trade, Preller is always willing to get creative to address the Padres' most dire roster needs.
Heading into the 2026 campaign, the focus remains on a San Diego starting pitching rotation that has plenty of question marks before taking the field on March 26 versus the Detroit Tigers.
With Opening Day just days away, Preller has yet to make a trade, an ultra-rare sight that has many pondering if a move is on the horizon from the rock-star GM.
Who rounds out the starting staff?
As it stands, the Padres look slated to start the year with a trio of Michael King, Nick Pivetta, and Randy Vásquez atop their rotation.
Right-hander Joe Musgrove would certainly fit into that group, but will instead start the season on the injured-list. The 33-year-old is bouncing back from missing all of the 2025 season after undergoing Tommy John surgery in October '24. He last threw during a bullpen session after tossing three-plus innings against Great Britain's WBC squad in an exhibition game on March 4.
Veteran hurler Walker Buehler, who signed a minor league deal with the club in mid-February, was recently awarded a spot with the major league roster after an impressive Cactus League showing. Trying to reclaim at least some of his former glory, the righty will likely assume the fourth starter role in Musgrove's absence.
Padres manager Craig Stammen discusses both Ty France and Walker Buehler being told they’ve made the Padres Opening Day roster. pic.twitter.com/gu9XKluXoS
— 97.3 The Fan (@973TheFanSD) March 21, 2026
The fifth and final turn remains open.
Former NL West foe Germán Márquez could wind up with a chance to regularly pitch at Petco Park's pitcher-friendly confines as opposed to the nightmare fuel that is Coors Field, where he pitched for the better part of 10 seasons.
Márquez held the Seattle Mariners to three runs while striking out nine in his last start on March 17. Inconsistencies could hinder his hopes, though. In 11 2/3 innings this spring, he's allowed 12 runs while issuing five walks. The Padres also play just six times in the campaign's first eight days, meaning they could opt to stick with only four starters through the first week of play.
On the outside looking in
As of Sunday, a litany of San Diego's starting depth options have been reassigned to minor league camp. Left-handers Marco Gonzales and JP Sears along with righties Triston McKenzie and Logan Gillaspie will all begin the year searching for opportunities to eventually contribute.
Having perhaps found his role this spring, journeyman Kyle Hart has found a home pitching out of the bullpen. The crafty lefty has tossed 13 scoreless innings with 14 punch outs and a 0.92 WHIP in his second camp with the Friars.
Hart finished last season with a 3-3 record and 5.86 ERA after appearing in 20 contests, six of them being starts. It's unlikely that San Diego uses him as a starter this year, but could see time as a long reliever, given the Padres' abundance of high leverage arms.
Could Preller go external?
James A. Pittman-Imagn Images
Aug 26, 2025; Baltimore, Maryland, USA; Boston Red Sox pitcher Lucas Giolito (54) delivers a pitch during the first inning against the Baltimore Orioles at Oriole Park at Camden Yards. Mandatory Credit: James A. Pittman-Imagn Images
King and Pivetta, who are the presumptive one-two punch the Padres will roll into '26 with, have looked shaky this spring. Although there is belief that it's just a matter of shaking off any rust before Opening Day, both men have combined to allow 21 earned runs and 13 home runs in 27 2/3 innings. If those numbers carry over into the regular season, it's certainly not ideal.
Randy Vásquez, who has improved dramatically since last September, has looked sharp in 18 1/3 spring innings. His velocity is up, sitting between 96 to 97 mph, which could help him take the next step to becoming a key piece in a starting rotation. The command appears more honed in as well. Still, the 27-year-old righty has much to prove. Inconsistencies had him see-sawing from good start to bad start last season, possessing a 1.32 WHIP while issuing 52 walks.
Newly-minted Padre Griffin Canning isn't expected to be game-ready until early to mid-May. The right-hander is ramping up from a ruptured left achilles tendon suffered last June as a member of the New York Mets.
Uncertainties, injuries, and all things considered, would it even be surprising if Preller turned towards acquiring outside help?
Lucas Giolito, the last best remaining starting pitcher on the free agent market, would make sense for this iteration of the Padres. When healthy, he's a workhorse. The Southern California native logged 145 innings with the Boston Red Sox last season, pitching to a 10-4 record with a 3.41 ERA and 121 strikeouts.
Giolito missed Boston's postseason run due to a strain in his throwing elbow, though. It is relatively surprising, however, that interest hasn't materialized enough for someone to sign him. With Opening Day around the corner, Giolito's asking price gets more affordable by the day.
Preller, being an individual who loves to stockpile arms, could entice the veteran starter to take a one-year flyer deal in America's Finest City.
As for the trade market, it's hard to read which teams are looking to deal with camp winding down. But don't rule anything out just yet.
A week before the 2022 season commenced, Preller bolstered the pitching staff by pulling off a swap to acquire lefty Sean Manaea from the Athletics. Fast forward to '24, news broke as the club was boarding a flight to Seoul, South Korea that the wheeling and dealing GM had landed hard-throwing righty Dylan Cease from the Chicago White Sox in exchange for a slew of prospects.
His silence won't last much longer.
