SAN DIEGO -- The Padres are bringing back three key lefty options in their bullpen, after a flurry of moves on Sunday.
Yuki Matsui and Wandy Peralta have exercised their player options for the 2027 season, while Kyle Hart had his club option picked up. Those moves give the Padres some cover, with Adrian Morejon slated to hit free agency. (Though they’ll certainly look to explore a reunion with Morejon. The team has until Monday’s 2 p.m. PT deadline to extend Morejon a qualifying offer.)
The Padres also announced their decision to decline Nick Pivetta’s club option, and they declined mutual options on Griffin Canning and Lucas Giolito. Meanwhile, Miguel Andujar declined his option. They are all free agents.
Matsui returns
Not counting the decision on Pivetta (which was settled on Saturday), the most intriguing of Sunday’s roster moves was Matsui’s decision to opt in to his $6.5 million deal for the 2027 season. (He will have another player option worth $7 million for the '28 season.)
Matsui is coming off a breakout season in which he posted a 1.83 ERA across 54 outings, then allowed just one unearned run in five postseason appearances. He would’ve surely drawn plenty of interest on the free-agent market.
But Matsui has touted his time as a Padre and clearly wanted to remain in San Diego, where his career has taken off after he signed a five-year deal prior to the 2024 season. If Morejon departs, it’s possible Matsui could step into the role of the highest-leverage left-hander in the Padres' bullpen. Though general manager A.J. Preller will almost certainly look to add to his bullpen, as he is wont to do.
Bullpen depth secured
Hart and Peralta weren’t at Matsui’s level, but they were both integral parts of the San Diego ’pen last season. Peralta notched a 3.61 ERA in 65 appearances. Hart had a 4.92 mark in 46 games but was solid down the stretch, covering a number of roles. The team’s decision to exercise his $2.5 million option was a straightforward one.
The Padres are going to have major question marks about the bridge to Mason Miller with Morejon and Jason Adam set to hit free agency. But (as usual) they’ve got plenty of depth.
Bradgley Rodriguez is the strong favorite to assume a setup role, coming off a brilliant rookie season. Matsui, Peralta, Hart and David Morgan are all middle-innings options.
The Padres could still use another ’pen addition or two. (To that end, both Morejon and Adam have expressed a desire to return.)
Major rotation openings
There was never much doubt whether the Padres would decline their options on Giolito (for $3 million) and Canning (for $2.5 million). The two right-handers struggled immensely this season, and Giolito missed nearly the entire second half due to a right elbow injury.
Still, their departures -- along with Pivetta -- underscore just how great the rotation need is in San Diego.
The only returning starter from the 2026 rotation is Randy Vásquez. Joe Musgrove’s role is uncertain after he returned from Tommy John surgery in the postseason, but it’s possible he could join that rotation mix. JP Sears could get an opportunity as well.
But with Michael King and Walker Buehler hitting free agency (and Pivetta now joining them), the Padres would seem to have at least three places open in their starting rotation. Preller has work to do.
“Every year we talk about it: You’ve got to be willing to revamp your pitching staff,” Preller said last month. “This offseason will be no different. We’ll have some opportunity, I think, this offseason to build a staff that we think is a championship staff through free agency, trades and continuing to develop.”
The search for a bench bat?
Andujar slashed .259/.303/.423 across 74 games with the Padres in 2026. He declined his portion of a $4 million mutual option for the 2027 season.
With Austin Hays set to depart in free agency as well, that leaves the Padres looking for a righty bench bat. If they stick with three catchers on their roster, Luis Campusano is an option for that role, but it still leaves the bench a bit thin.
Most of the Padres’ offseason focus will be surrounding their search for pitching help. Their offensive core is largely intact. But there are a couple of offensive questions they’ll need to address nonetheless (most notably at first base, after Ty France became a free agent).