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Padres Decline Options On Elias Díaz, Tyler Wade, Kyle Hart

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The Padres have turned down options on three players, per Annie Heilbrunn of the San Diego Union-Tribune. They have declined a $7MM mutual option for catcher Elias Díaz, going for the $2MM buyout instead. Infielder/outfielder Tyler Wade’s $1MM club option has been turned down in favor of a $50K buyout. Left-hander Kyle Hart’s $5MM club option has been turned down in favor of a $500K buyout. All three will head to free agency.

None of the three moves comes as a major shock. The Padres signed Díaz last offseason, a one-year deal with a $3.5MM guarantee for his age-34 campaign. That took the form of a $1.5MM salary and a $2MM buyout on the $7MM mutual option. It’s been over a decade since both sides of a mutual option were exercised. They are usually a way for the team to kick part of the payment down the road. That appears to be the case here, as the option buyout was more than the salary in this case.

Díaz got into 106 games for the Padres, slashing .204/.270/.337 for a 74 wRC+. His defense was considered around par. With Díaz now removed, the Padres are down to two backstops on the roster. Freddy Fermin projects as the top option. Luis Campusano is still there but the club doesn’t appear to trust him behind the plate, as they opted to give playing time to older veterans like Díaz and Martín Maldonado, even though Campusano was crushing in the minors. It wouldn’t be surprising if Campusano were traded, now that he’s out of options, with the Friars circling back to Díaz or some other veteran.

Wade, 31 in November, has long been a glove-first utility guy in the majors. He got into 60 games for the Padres this year and played all the outfield slots as well as the three infield positions to the left of first base. However, he hit just .206/.309/.252.

The Padres signed Hart in February, hoping he could build off a strong year in Korea. Pitching for the KBO’s NC Dinos in 2024, he posted a 2.69 ERA in 157 innings. The Friars brought him back to North America on a one-year deal with a $1.5MM guarantee. That included a $1MM salary this year and a $500K buyout on a $5MM club option.

Unfortunately, his return to the majors didn’t go smoothly. He logged 43 big league innings with a 5.86 earned run average this year. His 20.7% strikeout rate and 7.3% walk rate were decent but he was mostly used in a low leverage swingman role. The Friars need pitching but they have a tight budget and Hart didn’t perform well, so it’s understandable that they haven’t given him a raise.

Photo courtesy of Denis Poroy, Imagn Images

Yu Darvish Undergoes UCL Surgery, Will Miss Entire 2026 Season

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The Padres announced that right-hander Yu Darvish underwent surgery last Wednesday to fix a damaged right UCL and flexor tendon.  The procedure was an internal brace surgery instead of a full Tommy John surgery, yet the outcome is still the same — Darvish will miss the entire 2026 season while recovering.

This will be the second entirely lost year of Darvish’s career, as he missed all of 2015 due to a Tommy John procedure.  He has had some bouts of elbow soreness in the decade since that surgery, most prominently a stint on the 60-day injured list this season stemming from a bout of elbow inflammation that arose during Spring Training.

It wasn’t until July 7 that Darvish finally made his season debut for the Padres, and he clearly didn’t look 100 percent while posting a 5.38 ERA over 15 starts and 72 innings.  Small sample size notwithstanding, Darvish’s 23% strikeout rate was the lowest of his 13 MLB seasons, and his chase and whiff rates were far below average.  His 6.4% walk rate was still quite strong and Darvish did a very good job of limiting hard contact overall, but batters tended to thrive when actually squaring up on the veteran, as Darvish allowed 14 homers over his 72 frames.

Beyond these statistics, perhaps the most prominent numbers are 39 (Darvish’s age) and 3119.  The latter figure is the total number of innings Darvish has amassed over 20 total seasons pitching in the Major League regular season and postseason, as well as seven seasons in Japan with the Nippon-Ham Fighters.  Darvish will be 40 years old on Opening Day 2027 and it is anyone’s guess how he could perform after such a long layoff.

Last month, Kevin Acee of the San Diego Union-Tribune addressed the possibility of Darvish’s retirement, writing that “there has been talk for more than a year about the possibility he could retire at any time,” and that “Darvish has not made any assurances about completing his contract.”  The fact that Darvish has undergone this surgery would surely indicate that he wants to keep pitching, though any setbacks in rehab could perhaps create fresh doubt in the right-hander’s mind.

Darvish signed a contract extension with the Padres in April 2023, and he is still owed $43MM over the course of the 2026-28 seasons.  The $15MM owed to him in 2026 is now a wash, and retiring outright would mean that Darvish is voluntarily walking away from his remaining two years of salary.  The likelier outcome in the event that Darvish is unable to keep playing is that some kind of deferred buyout agreement is made with the Padres so that Darvish will still get his money over a longer period of time.

Given Darvish’s injury history, he was already viewed as a question mark for San Diego’s rotation heading into 2026.  Now that the question has been answered in the most unfortunate way possible, the Padres will go into next season with just two (Nick Pivetta and Randy Vasquez) of the seven pitchers who made the most starts for the team in 2025.  Dylan Cease and Michael King are free agents, Stephen Kolek and Ryan Bergert were traded to the Royals at the deadline. and now Darvish has been sidelined by his UCL repair.

Next year’s rotation projects as Pivetta, Vasquez, deadline pickup JP Sears, Joe Musgrove in his return from Tommy John surgery, and a fifth starter role that could be contested between Matt Waldron, Kyle Hart, or (more intriguingly) star relievers Mason Miller or Adrian Morejon.  San Diego was already expected to add at least one starter to this mix even before Darvish’s injury news surfaced, so the team’s search for rotation help will now be even more pronounced.

Inset image courtesy of Denis Poroy — Imagn Images

Wandy Peralta Will Not Opt Out Of Padres Deal

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Veteran reliever Wandy Peralta will forgo the opt-out in his contract, reports Annie Heilbrunn of the San Diego Union-Tribune. Peralta’s four-year, $16.5MM contract contained opt-out opportunities after each season. He’s exercising a $4.45MM player option for the 2026 season and will have one final player option for the same amount next offseason.

Peralta effectively has two years and $8.9MM remaining on his contract, with an opt-out at the midway point. He might’ve had a chance to beat that in free agency on the back of a 3.14 ERA in a career-high 71 2/3 innings, but it’s far from a sure thing. The 34-year-old doesn’t exactly have age on his side, and this year’s 20.1% strikeout rate and 9.6% walk rate were both a fair bit worse than the league average.

Peralta still throws hard, sitting 95-96 mph with his sinker, and piles up grounders at a near-60% clip, but he’s worked primarily in low- and medium-leverage spot since signing with San Diego. He’ll stay put and once again be a heavily used piece of the Friars’ bullpen picture.

The Padres boast a deep bullpen, headlined by deadline acquisition Mason Miller. Closer Robert Suarez opted out of the remaining two years on his contract earlier today. Assuming they keep Miller in the ’pen — they’ve reportedly at least considered moving him into the rotation — he’ll be supported by Peralta, Adrian Morejon, Jeremiah Estrada and standout rookie David Morgan. The Padres will have a notable decision to make on excellent setup man Jason Adam, who is projected for a $6.8MM salary in arbitration but suffered a ruptured quadriceps tendon in September, which required season-ending surgery.

Robert Suarez Opts Out Of Padres Contract

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Padres closer Robert Suarez has opted out of the final two years and $16MM on his deal with San Diego, according to a report from Jon Heyman of the New York Post. Suarez will now head into the free agent market in search of a new deal.

San Diego signed Suarez to a five-year, $46MM deal ahead of the 2023 season. Injuries limited him to 27 2/3 innings that year, but he broke out as a premier closer the following season. Suarez notched 36 saves in 2024, earning an All-Star nomination. He followed that up with a National League-leading 40 saves in 2025.

Suarez took a roundabout way to MLB stardom. He pitched in the NPB from 2018 to 2021, emerging as a top reliever over his final two campaigns. Suarez piled up 67 saves in two seasons with the Hanshin Tigers, which earned him a look in the big leagues. San Diego brought him over on a major-league deal in December 2021. He made 45 appearances for the Padres that season. Suarez posted an elite 31.9% strikeout rate, but it came with an elevated 11% walk rate. Following his first MLB season, Suarez elected free agency, but returned to San Diego on the aforementioned five-year pact.

The 34-year-old Suarez wraps up his San Diego tenure with 77 saves across 206 appearances. He recorded a 2.91 ERA and a 0.98 WHIP over 210 innings. Suarez earned two All-Star selections.

Suarez is entering a crowded reliever market. Devin Williams, Ryan Helsley, and Raisel Iglesias are among the top names, while Edwin Díaz could join the mix if he opts out of his current deal. Proven veterans Emilio Pagan, Luke Weaver, Kenley Jansen, and Kyle Finnegan are also available.

San Diego shouldn’t have to look far for Suarez’s replacement. The team landed their closer of the future at the trade deadline, acquiring Mason Miller from the Athletics for a package led by shortstop prospect Leo De Vries. Miller was dominant as a setup man for Suarez, posting a 0.77 ERA with an insane 54.2% strikeout rate in 22 appearances with his new team. The young flamethrower is entering his first year of arbitration, so he should function as San Diego’s stopper for the foreseeable future.

Coaching Notes: Mets, Padres, Leiper, Rays

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Many teams are still setting up their coaching staffs for the 2026 season, and some news broke about some departures on the Rangers staff earlier tonight.  Let’s check in with some more coaching-related rumblings from around the league…

  • The Mets have interviewed Padres third base/infield coach Tim Leiper for an unspecified role on New York’s coaching staff, according to The Athletic’s Tim Britton.  SNY’s Andy Martino reported yesterday that the Mets were nearing a hire for their third base coach vacancy, so it would seem logical that Leiper might be the one being tapped as Mike Sarbaugh’s replacement.  Leiper has been San Diego’s third base coach for the last two seasons, and since the Padres are looking for a new manager, it makes sense that Leiper would be exploring other options if the Padres’ staff is about to get shaken up.  Leiper has close to 30 years as a coach and manager in the minors and in international baseball, plus he was also the Blue Jays’ first base coach for five seasons (2014-18).
  • The Rays are looking for a new assistant hitting coach, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.  Brady North previously filled the role, but the team announced last month that North would be moving on to a possible new role in the organization after four years on the coaching staff.  Topkin notes that Ozzie Timmons is one of the internal candidates for the assistant hitting coach role, which would mark Timmons’ return to Tampa’s staff after a four-year absence.  Timmons was the Rays’ first base coach from 2018-21 before moving onto a three-year stint as a hitting coach with the Brewers.  Tampa Bay brought Timmons back into the fold as a special assistant and roving coach role within the organization prior to the 2025 season.

Michael King Declines Mutual Option With Padres

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Right-hander Michael King has declined his mutual option with the Padres, according to a report from Kevin Acee of the San Diego Union-Tribune. He’ll head into free agency and collected a $3.75MM buyout rather than stay with the Padres on what would have been a $15MM salary for next year.

King’s decision was entirely expected. Mutual options are virtually never exercised, and King will need to top just $11.25MM in free agency in order to come out ahead in making the choice to decline his option. That’s a number he’s essentially guaranteed to clear, both due to the high price of starting pitching in recent free agent classes and thanks to King’s own success in recent years. After moving to the rotation as a member of the Yankees in late August 2023, King fired off eight starts where he posted a 1.88 ERA with a 31.4% strikeout rate to end the season. After being shipped to San Diego as part of that offseason’s Juan Soto trade, he turned in a 2.95 ERA in 173 2/3 innings of work during his first full-time season as a starter and finished seventh in NL Cy Young award voting last year.

2025 wasn’t quite as strong as 2024, as King was limited to just 15 starts by a nerve issue in his throwing shoulder and a subsequent knee issue. King did return to the mound late in the year, but didn’t look like his usual dominant self with a 5.74 ERA across 15 2/3 September innings. He looked much better in a scoreless inning of relief work against the Cubs, however, and struck out all three batters he faced without issue. That’s good news, since prior to the injury King looked as dominant as ever with a 2.59 ERA and 3.26 FIP across his first ten starts of the year. While he finished the year with a 24.7% strikeout rate against an 8.4% walk rate, those figures were 28.4% and 7.6% prior to his injury.

Thanks to King’s dominance when healthy, he enters free agency with a real chance at a strong multi-year deal so long as suitors are convinced that this year’s shoulder woes are behind him. King is marketing his age-31 season, so between that fact and his shoulder problems this season it’s possible he’ll be boxed out of the five-, six-, or seven-year offers that top of the market aces have gotten in recent years. Even so, he should have the opportunity to clean up fairly handsomely on the open market in a way that would’ve been hard to imagine when looking at his first few years in the league as a middle reliever for the Yankees.

In the short-term, the Padres seem all but certain to extend King a Qualifying Offer, which King seems equally likely to reject. That process will leave King tied to draft pick compensation this winter. Last month, MLBTR’s Mark Polishuk took a look at what each team would receive if they lose a qualified free agent, and the penalties they’d pay to sign one. If King departs San Diego, the Padres would receive a compensatory pick after the fourth-round in the 2026 draft. Of course, that would only come in to play if King doesn’t re-sign with the Padres. The team’s clear needs at the top of the rotation mean that a reunion can’t be entirely ruled out, but in recent years San Diego has eschewed giving out large paydays to free agent starters in favor of a more creative approach.

Albert Pujols, Nick Hundley, Ruben Niebla Among Finalists For Padres’ Managerial Job

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Yesterday, Kevin Acee of the San Diego Union-Tribune reported that the Padres were entering the finalist stages of their managerial search.  In a new report today, Acee writes that the Padres are down “to no more than four finalists,” with Albert Pujols, Padres pitching coach Ruben Niebla, Rangers special assistant Nick Hundley, and potentially an unspecified fourth name still on the radar.  A hiring is expected to be made by the end of the week.

All three of the known candidates would be first-time MLB managers, though the trio have vastly different resumes.  Niebla has 25 years of experience as a pitching coach and coordinator at the Major League and minor league levels with San Diego and Cleveland, and he has drawn high praise for his work over his four seasons as the Padres’ pitching coach.  Pujols (one of baseball’s all-time greats) and Hundley are longtime former players who have never managed or coached in the majors or minors, though Hundley does have some ties to San Diego in the form of seven seasons as the Padres’ catcher.

Since retiring from playing, Pujols has been a special instructor with the Angels and a manager in the Dominican Winter League, plus he’ll be managing the Dominican Republic’s World Baseball Classic team this coming spring unless he is hired for a big league job.  Pujols was a candidate with the Orioles and Angels for their managerial openings this offseason, and the Halos’ gig was seemingly headed his way before negotiations seemed to fall apart in the fairly late stages.

Hundley’s post-playing endeavors have included two seasons working for the MLB baseball operations department, and he has spent the last four seasons as a special assistant in the Rangers’ front office.  The Giants approached Hundley about managerial openings in both 2023 and this very fall, but Hundley declined both times for family reasons, even though this time in particular Hundley seemed to be Buster Posey’s first choice for the position.  Despite Hundley’s past demurrals, the fact that he lives in San Diego naturally adds appeal to the Padres job, as managing in his hometown would allow him to more easily balance his work life and spend time with his family.

Niebla received some consideration for the Padres’ managerial gig in 2023 before Mike Shildt was hired, but his name hasn’t been publicly linked to any other managerial openings around the sport.  It is relatively rare to see pitching coaches make the jump to the manager’s chair, though John Farrell, Bud Black, Roger Craig, and Bob Lemon are prominent examples of ex-pitching coaches who found success as MLB skippers.  One factor potentially working against Niebla is that he is so well-regarded as a pitching coach that the Padres might just prefer to keep him in that role and look elsewhere for a manager.

Offseason Outlook: San Diego Padres

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The Padres won 90 games and made the playoffs for a second straight season. They came up short in a tightly-contested Wild Card Series against the Cubs. Manager Mike Shildt retired a few days later, sending them on the hunt for the sixth full-time skipper of A.J. Preller's tenure. That comes as they face the impending free agency of two of their top starters and their closer.

Guaranteed Contracts

Option Decisions

2026 guarantees (assuming only Laureano and Peralta return): $154.95MM
Total future commitments (assuming only Laureano and Peralta return): $1.022 billion through 2034

Arbitration-Eligible Players (service time in parentheses; projected salaries courtesy of MLBTR contributor Matt Swartz)

Non-tender candidates: Adam, Sears

Free Agents

Every offseason in San Diego features its share of twists. This year's began within days of elimination. On October 9, The San Diego Union-Tribune reported that manager Mike Shildt and president of baseball operations A.J. Preller were expected back. Two days later, Shildt informed the team he was retiring. Subsequent reporting from The SDUT's Kevin Acee pointed to discord between Shildt and his coaching staff.

It was the third consecutive managerial stint that ended in some measure of controversy. Jayce Tingler had seemingly lost the clubhouse by the time he was fired in 2021. Preller and Bob Melvin clashed to such an extent that the Padres allowed Melvin out of his contract during the 2023-24 offseason to take the same job with the division-rival Giants. Preller is still expected back for what'll be his 12th full season leading baseball operations. This will be his fifth managerial search and he's going into the final year of his contract. Reporting from Ken Rosenthal and Dennis Lin of The Athletic pointed to some tension between Preller and CEO Erik Greupner that raises questions about whether the Padres will extend Preller or let him work on a lame duck contract.

The managerial search is well underway and could be concluded within the next few days. Acee wrote last night that they've moved to the second round of interviews while narrowing their search to a group of finalists. Albert Pujols is the only candidate known to have gotten a second interview. Bench coach Brian Esposito and pitching coach Ruben Niebla each interviewed at least once. Cubs bench coach Ryan Flaherty, a former Padres staffer who appeared to be the runner-up when the position went to Shildt two years back, has also been speculated as a candidate. Obviously, the managerial hiring will shape how much of Shildt's coaching staff returns.

It'd behoove the Padres to get their manager in place within the next week or so. They always have a lot to accomplish on the roster. This year is no exception, though most of their early option decisions are straightforward.

They'll exercise their $6.5MM option on Ramón Laureano, who was fantastic after being acquired from the Orioles at the trade deadline. They'll buy out lefty Kyle Hart and backup catcher Elias Díaz. Closer Robert Suarez will opt out of the remaining two years and $16MM on his contract, while Michael King has an easy call to decline his end of a $15MM mutual option in favor of a $3.75MM buyout.

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Padres Interview Albert Pujols In Managerial Search

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October 28: Pujols had a second, in-person interview today, per Kevin Acee of the San Diego Union-Tribune. According to Acee, the Padres have narrowed the search down to the finalists. Pitching coach Ruben Niebla and bench coach Brian Esposito were also interviewed in the first round, though it is unclear if they are still being considered. Meanwhile, former Mariners manager and current Padres special assistant for player development Scott Servais is also in the mix, according to Jon Heyman of the New York Post.

October 20: As the Padres search for a replacement for retiring manager Mike Shildt, they’re setting their sights on a big name: future Hall of Famer Albert Pujols. According to a report from Kevin Acee of the San Diego Union-Tribune, Pujols is set to interview for the position with the Padres, though it’s not yet known when that interview will take place.

Pujols’s name isn’t exactly new as a managerial candidate. He spent the early part of the offseason closely connected to the Angels as a potential successor to Ron Washington and Ray Montgomery in Anaheim. He was thought the be the favorite for that position at one point and was even known to be discussing a contract with Angels brass less than two weeks ago, but since then it’s been reported that Pujols will interview with Baltimore while the Halos have begun interviewing other candidates. While Pujols managing in Anaheim doesn’t seem to be off the table, it no longer appears to be a foregone conclusion as it once might have.

San Diego makes a third managerial vacancy that Pujols is set to interview for, and it’s quite an attractive one. Unlike the Orioles and Angels, the Padres made it to the postseason this year before falling to the Cubs in three games during the Wild Card series. While the Dodgers have a firm grip on the NL West that they don’t seem likely to relinquish any time soon, San Diego has made the playoffs in four of the last six seasons and even advanced to the NLCS back in 2022. They’ve averaged 88.5 wins per season over the past four years and have a talented core of players that includes Jackson Merrill, Manny Machado, Mason Miller, Fernando Tatis Jr. and Nick Pivetta, among others.

With that said, it’s also worth noting that the Padres are set to lose front-of-the-rotation arms Dylan Cease and Michael King this winter, with the starting rotation serving as a major question mark headed into next year. The questions regarding the rotation and the fact that some of the club’s star players like Machado are getting older could mean that the Padres don’t have quite as bright of a future as a team like the Orioles, which is littered with exciting young players in their prime who figure to be under team control for years to come.

Pujols is far from the only candidate for the Padres job, of course. Acee notes that pitching coach Ruben Niebla is expected to interview for the position. Cubs Bench Coach Ryan Flaherty, who also served as bench coach in San Diego under Bob Melvin and was a finalist for the manager’s chair before it ultimately went to Shildt two years ago, is also a speculated candidate for the job. Former Padres catcher and Rangers special assistant Nick Hundley is known to be of interest to San Diego for the role, but he recently withdrew from consideration from the manager role with the Giants due to family considerations and it’s not known if he would consider taking the Padres job at this point.

MLBTR Podcast: The Phillies’ Outfield, Tarik Skubal, And Hiring College Coaches

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The latest episode of the MLB Trade Rumors Podcast is now live on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and wherever you get your podcasts! Make sure you subscribe as well! You can also use the player at this link to listen, if you don’t use Spotify or Apple for podcasts.

This week, host Darragh McDonald is joined by Anthony Franco of MLB Trade Rumors to discuss…

Plus, we answer your questions, including…

  • What positions do the Astros need to target to make it back to the postseason? (41:55)
  • Do the Brewers need to change their contact-over-power approach? (45:20)
  • Will Kyle Tucker’s injuries significantly impact his payday? (47:10)
  • Should the Padres try to sign J.T. Realmuto or stick with Freddy Fermin and Luis Campusano? (49:50)

Check out our past episodes!

  • Murakami To Be Posted This Offseason, Managerial Vacancies, And More! – listen here
  • Rockies’ Front Office Changes, Skip Schumaker, And ABS Talk – listen here
  • Mike Elias On The State Of The Orioles – listen here

The podcast intro and outro song “So Long” is provided courtesy of the band Showoff.  Check out their Facebook page here!

Photo courtesy of Jayne Kamin-Oncea, Imagn Images

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