SAN DIEGO -- The Padres made their first big move of the offseason, bringing back Michael King on a three-year deal -- a critical signing for a rotation that needed an arm like King.
They followed it by adding star KBO infielder Sung-Mon Song, though that deal has not yet been finalized or announced by the club.
San Diego’s top priority this winter was always starting pitching -- particularly with Yu Darvish set to miss the 2026 season and Dylan Cease signing with Toronto.
So what’s next for the Padres, now that they have the frontline starter they coveted and expect to add a versatile infielder, too? Let’s break it down:
1. The Padres need more in the rotation
But how much more, exactly?
This rotation looks significantly better on paper than it did 24 hours ago. King, Nick Pivetta and Joe Musgrove -- who is set to return from Tommy John surgery -- make up a fairly formidable front three. Randy Vásquez probably has a place at the back end. There are options for the No. 5 spot -- JP Sears, Matt Waldron, Triston McKenzie (who signed a Minor League deal with the club on Thursday) to name a few.
But there’s uncertainty around Musgrove in his return from injury. King himself dealt with injury concerns last year. And those No. 5 options all struggled immensely last season. The Padres still need to add to their rotation.
“Obviously there’s a still a lot of offseason left, and we’re going to look to continue to improve our team,” general manager A.J. Preller said at Friday’s press conference to announce King’s signing. “We talk about it all the time. It’s not just a cliché. You can never have enough pitching, especially starting pitching. So, it’s still active, our conversations.”
The question is whether the Padres would swing big again or whether they’re content to add on the fringes. In all likelihood, King is the team’s biggest free-agent signing of the offseason. But could Preller get creative on the trade market to add a big-name starter?
Who are we kidding? That’s always possible with Preller.
Remember when Preller landed Darvish and Blake Snell on the same day in the 2020-21 offseason? In the immediate aftermath, Musgrove -- a San Diego native whose name had been mentioned in rumors that winter -- resigned himself to the fact he probably wasn’t getting dealt to his hometown team. Two weeks later, he was a Padre after all.
2. Who’s on first?
Offensively, the Padres addressed most of their needs in-season last season. At the Trade Deadline, they added Ramón Laureano and Freddy Fermin -- presumably their starting left fielder and catcher, respectively. They added Gavin Sheets just before the season, and he looks like their DH -- or at least the strong side of a DH platoon.
There are a couple minor question marks on the bench. (Namely, who fills the other half of that platoon?) But in the starting lineup, the only thing missing right now is a first baseman.
The Song deal might change that. Song -- who batted .315 with a .917 OPS, plus 26 home runs and 25 steals for the KBO’s Kiwoom Heroes last season -- has played only 85 career games at first base. He’s spent much more time at second and third.
But his arrival gives the Padres some versatility. Second baseman Jake Cronenworth is more than capable of sliding to first. And if Manny Machado needs a day at DH, Song could theoretically play third base with Sheets playing first.
Both Luis Arraez and Ryan O’Hearn hit free agency this winter. The King signing presumably makes it less likely that the Padres would spend big on another free-agent. The Song signing makes the need at first base a bit less urgent. Suddenly, a reunion with either of those two feels like a longshot. But the team will continue to monitor the market for first basemen, nonetheless.
3. The first domino of … how many?
Here’s a totally plausible scenario for the offseason:
The King signing is San Diego’s biggest move of the winter. Preller adds another bat and a back-of-the-rotation arm. Perhaps in a minor trade, perhaps in the shallow end of the free-agent pool. But the roster is mostly already set, and the current group is the group the Padres roll with.
But does that sound like A.J. Preller to you?
Who knows -- maybe that’s precisely how this plays out. It’s still a near certainty that Preller will explore a major trade or two. Because Preller is always exploring a major trade or two.
If he were to make a move, it stands to reason that he would deal from his team’s biggest strength -- its bullpen depth. But there are also impact players that Preller might look to move in order to free up salary so he can add elsewhere. (Pivetta? Cronenworth?) That would leave the Padres with holes elsewhere on their roster. But surely Preller would then have other moves up his sleeve to fill those holes.
Should be an interesting offseason in San Diego. Isn’t it always?