San Diego

Padres

ESPN’s Jeff Passan reported earlier in the offseason that he believes it’s “finally time” for Robert to be traded, so we’re going to see a few teams being linked to him. What makes this report interesting is that there doesn’t seem to be a place for Robert in San Diego with Fernando Tatis Jr., Jackson Merrill, and Ramon Laureano as the starting outfield. However, there have also been trade rumors surrounding Tatis as the Padres look to shed salary and add young, controllable starting pitchers. Perhaps there could be a few levers being pulled here.

The same goes for David Morgan. Of moving the relievers to the rotation, Stammen said: “It’s a risky proposition health-wise and performance-wise.” We’d say it still might be worth it in Miller’s case, especially given the Padres’ lack of rotation depth, but if they’re not going to do it, then Miller, who allowed just two runs and struck out 45 in 23 1/3 innings after being traded to San Diego at the deadline, has an argument for fantasy baseball’s No. 1 RP heading into the 2026.

As with the Ty Adcock signing last week, the Padres are again taking advantage of their 40-man roster openings to secure a priority minor league free agent. The 27-year-old Acosta had a 2.42 ERA and a 72/27 K/BB in 52 innings of relief work between Double- and Triple-A in the Nationals system last season. He throws in the mid-90s and gets his strikeouts with a mid-80s splitter. Control has always been an issue, but the stuff is there for him to become a useful reliever. This will be his first time on a 40-man roster, so he has all three option years available.

Lin is quick to point out that a deal isn’t likely, but the Padres are desperate to fill out their thin starting rotation and add an impact bat, so they might need to trade a controllable asset like Pivetta to fill multiple roster spots. There is also the risk of losing Pivetta for nothing. The 32-year-old has two years and $32 million remaining on his contract, but he can opt out of the deal after this year, which he might do if he has another strong season. “Trading Pivetta could give the Padres payroll flexibility and resources to pursue multiple controllable starters,” per Lin, so this remains a situation to monitor.

The 25-year-old outfielder spent the first seven years of his minor league career in the Pirates’ organization. In 2025, Bowen slashed .272/.353/.449 with nine homers, 37 RBI and 20 stolen bases in 366 plate appearances across four minor league levels.

A major league deal for Adcock is surprising, but the Padres had just 34 players on the 40-man and even a couple of them seem pretty expendable. Also, Adcock, who turns 29 in February, has been very successful in the Dominican Republic this winter, allowing two runs and posting a 15/0 K/BB in nine innings for Estrellas. Adcock has a 5.48 ERA in 23 major league innings since debuting with the Mariners in 2023. He allowed one run in three innings for the Mets last season and had a 4.65 ERA and a 35/14 K/BB in 36 2/3 innings for Triple-A Syracuse. He’s out of options, so he’ll likely have a bullpen spot on Opening Day.

Schnell was selected by the Rays with the 32nd overall pick in the 2018 draft, but he never earned himself much 40-man-roster consideration before leaving as a free agent prior to last season. Signed by the Nationals, he wound up with a .257/.321/.478 line and 23 homers between Double- and Triple-A, but he struck out 31% of the time in the process. Most likely, he’s going to top out as a Triple-A guy.

Boyle, 29, had been in the Yankees system ever since being drafted in 2018. He spent most of last season in their Triple-A rotation, going 9-9 with a 4.61 ERA and a 120/51 K/BB in 134 2/3 innings. His lack of velocity has held him back, but with plus command and a nice slider, he could prove serviceable in middle relief if he ever gets the chance.

Rodriguez was outrighted off Atlanta’s roster after the 2025 season. The 23-year-old forged just a .650 OPS in his time with Double-A Columbus and Triple-A Gwinnett, and doesn’t appear to be more than organizational depth.

Reynolds didn’t do much to establish himself last season, posting a 5.33 ERA in 27 innings, and that he’s now out of options makes him less useful as relief depth. Cruz would probably be a nice swingman if he had better command, but it just doesn’t seem to be coming.