SAN DIEGO -- The Padres have clarity in their bullpen after two key relievers made decisions on player options on Monday.
The closer role is now open.
Right-hander Robert Suarez opted out of a two-year, $16 million player option, a move that was largely expected.
As was this one: Left-hander Wandy Peralta has exercised his one-year, $4.45 million player option and will return to the club for the 2026 season. Peralta will have another player option, also worth $4.45 million, after next season.
The Suarez move leaves the Padres without their two-time All-Star closer, though they have no shortage of internal candidates to fill that role. Even without Suarez, this projects as one of the best bullpens in baseball.
Right-hander Mason Miller would appear to be the likeliest candidate to replace Suarez -- if he remains in the bullpen, that is. There’s been talk about the possibility of moving Miller to the rotation, which general manager A.J. Preller addressed last month during his end-of-season media availability.
“The good news is, he’s one of the great talents in the game,” Preller said. “He can do a lot of things on the mound. We’ve seen, obviously, the dominance with the fastball/slider mix, the changeup coming into play. We’ve had some success here, making guys starters.
“At the end of the day, we’ll get together as a group, we’ll have our thoughts, we’ll definitely get Mason’s thoughts and see what he thinks is best. We’ll see how the offseason plays out, roster-wise. And then we’ll have some clear direction for him.”
If Miller is in the rotation, the Padres will still have Adrian Morejon, Jason Adam and Jeremiah Estrada in their bullpen. All three are options for the closer role. Adam, who ruptured his quadriceps tendon in early February, is on track to return sometime around the start of the 2026 season.
Still, losing Suarez would hurt. He racked up 40 saves with a 2.97 ERA and a 0.90 WHIP in 2025. It seems unlikely the Padres would pony up to bring him back, given their already deep bullpen and their question marks elsewhere -- particularly in the rotation.
As for Peralta, he posted a 3.14 ERA over 71 appearances. He figures to again serve as a lefty option for the middle innings, with Morejon as the ‘pen’s top left-hander. It’s possible that the Padres will look to add a middle-innings arm to their bullpen this winter, and if they do, another lefty would be a priority.
The team seems likely to decline a $5 million player option on Kyle Hart. Other remaining team options include a $1 million option on utility man Tyler Wade and a $7 million mutual option on catcher Elias Díaz, which also seem likely to be declined.
Meanwhile, a $6.5 million team option on left fielder Ramón Laureano will almost certainly be exercised ahead of Thursday’s deadline.