SAN DIEGO -- With fewer than two weeks before Padres pitchers and catchers report to Spring Training, the Friar Faithful packed Petco Park Saturday for a sneak peak of what’s to come this year.
On the final day of January, the Padres held their 2026 FanFest, which featured plenty of activities on the field, meet-and-greets with players and much more. On the heels of a 90-win season and an appearance in the 2025 Wild Card Series, the energy was palpable from a fan base that’s hungry for San Diego to take the next step in 2026.
Padres players, new manager Craig Stammen and general manager A.J. Preller spoke to the media during FanFest and helped shed some light on the current state of the organization. Here’s where things stand as we enter the month of February and inch closer to Spring Training.
Is a huge 2026 season for Tatis in store?
The heart and soul of the team and the direction the Padres go centers around Fernando Tatis Jr. The 27-year-old is entering his seventh MLB season and is coming off one of his best years yet, posting an .814 OPS with 25 home runs, 32 stolen bases and 6.1 WAR (per FanGraphs), while winning his second career Platinum Glove Award.
It’s no secret that Tatis found himself in the middle of trade rumors this offseason, but Preller put that to bed at the Winter Meetings by claiming that the club needed Fernando. And Tatis and the Padres are simply looking ahead to this season and trying to make it three straight playoff appearances.
For the Padres to dethrone the Dodgers in the NL West, they need a star in the mold of Tatis, and there’s ample reason to think he could find another gear at the plate this season. Tatis also thinks he pinpointed his issues from last year that could spark a step forward.
“Mechanical [issues], more than anything else. But it’s actually more about trusting the process,” Tatis said. “I definitely feel like that’s behind us now though. This year is going to be really special.”
Tatis, who is set to make his World Baseball Classic debut for the Dominican Republic this March, could begin that special season even sooner on the world stage.
“So many emotions to go through. I’ve been looking forward to that since I was a kid and it was definitely one of my goals as a pro,” Tatis said.
Musgrove’s return from TJ
On the pitching side of things, no pitcher looms larger in the general direction the Padres go than Joe Musgrove.
With Dylan Cease gone in free agency to the Blue Jays and Yu Darvish out for the 2026 season, Musgrove will have a huge role in this year’s rotation. Musgrove, who missed all of the 2025 season after undergoing Tommy John surgery in Oct. 2024, will likely slot in behind Nick Pivetta and Michael King -- whom San Diego re-signed to a multi-year deal this offseason -- in the Padres' rotation.
“I feel great right now,” Musgrove said. “The last two-to-four weeks, I’ve felt great and I’m looking forward to going into camp this spring.”
Before injuries limited him to fewer than 200 innings pitched since 2023, Musgrove remained a high-level pitcher when he was on the mound. In 2024, Musgrove had a 3.88 ERA with 101 strikeouts across 99 2/3 innings. The year before, the right-hander had a 3.05 ERA and 97 strikeouts in 97 1/3 innings. If the 33-year-old can return to that level and get closer to his previous output (he pitched 181-plus innings in 2021 and ‘22), it’d be a huge boon to this year’s squad.
Musgrove, the San Diego native, also hosted his annual “Camp 44” late this month, a non-mandatory pre-spring minicamp for pitchers, catchers and other members of the Padres' organization.
"It was a really good week. I think it’s good for us to get together, especially for some of the newer guys,” Musgrove said.
Stammen’s first year at the helm
The Friars will also have a new manager running things in 2026.
Stammen, who spent his final six seasons as a player with the Padres, retired during the 2023 season but remained in the organization as an assistant on the big league coaching staff and in the baseball operations department. He quickly showed his value in those roles and was hired as the Padres’ 24th manager last November.
“It’s been great this offseason, just getting involved in these guys’ offseason plans and developing player plans for these guys and trying to show them that we’re in their corner,” Stammen said. “We’re not trying to make them do things, but we’re trying to get the best out of them and get the most out of the team.”
There was a clear consensus among the other players that Stammen’s recent transition from player to manager has helped him connect well. Stammen, for his part, remained in constant communication with his players and traveled to meet with some, including Tatis in his home in the Dominican Republic, the first time Stammen had been there.
“I got to see what that baseball-obsessed country looks like and that was pretty cool,” Stammen said. “Being there for the first time and gaining perspective on how they grew up as people, what kind of food they eat, where their families grew up. I have a little bit of a better idea of why they do things or do things a certain way.”
Quick hits
• Mason Miller said he and the Padres had good discussions about the possibility of him returning to the starting rotation. Ultimately, Miller and the club agreed that the best spot -- both for him and the team -- was at the back end of games as a high-leverage reliever. The right-hander cited past injuries as part of his willingness to stay in the bullpen.
• Stammen and Preller both stated that Gavin Sheets, who was a pleasant surprise in 2025 with a .746 OPS and 19 home runs, is the early favorite to land the first-base job. Preller, however, alluded to possibly finding a right-handed bat that could complement the left-hander against tougher lefty pitchers.
• Sung-Mun Song, the KBO star the Padres signed to a four-year deal in December, could also be a viable option at first base. Song, who mainly played third base in the KBO, might operate better in a super-utility role that fills in at third base, first base and possible designated hitter. Song dealt with an oblique issue this winter and his family welcomed a baby recently, but he is expected to arrive stateside soon.
• Preller spoke at length about the offseason as a whole and what has been a relatively inactive winter for a usually busy general manager. However, as we’ve seen in past years, Preller has landed huge players around this time of the year, signing Manny Machado to a 10-year, $300 million deal in Feb. 2019 and trading for Cease in March of 2024.
• There are no new updates about Darvish, who will miss the entire 2026 season and has dabbled with the idea of terminating his contract. What’s clear, though, is how respected Darvish is within the organization, and the two sides are still working through what is next for him. Perhaps there’s a role on the coaching staff or front office for Darvish, as Preller and several players talked about how instrumental he’s been as a mentor.