The San Diego Padres must push all the right buttons this winter.

After a stellar second half of the 2026 season, the Padres will look to build on that momentum in 2027.

The Padres face a handful of things they must address this winter, but at the top of the list is completely rebuilding their starting rotation. Their starters logged the fourth-fewest innings in the major leagues and posted a 4.42 ERA in 2026.

It's no secret the Padres need to bolster their starting pitching, and they know it themselves. In a conversation with The Athletic's Jim Bowden, Padres front office members laid out starting pitching as their biggest need this offseason.

"New owners Kwanza Jones and José E. Feliciano wrote to their season ticket holders that they are 'all in, and everyone is waiting to see what that really means," Bowden wrote. "Are they going to make a run at [Tarik] Skubal? Will they try to bring back [Michael] King and [Adrian] Morejon? Will they go after [Sonny] Gray and [Freddy] Peralta, too?

"We know how aggressive president of baseball operations A.J. Preller is, but what we don’t know yet is what he’s armed with from a financial standpoint."

Padres Have Opportunity to Transform Starting Rotation This Offseason

The Padres need to do a lot better than they did last season when it comes to the starting rotation.

The Padres had a talented roster and a bullpen capable of helping them win in October, but the rotation needs to do more of the heavy lifting.

Too often, the Padres relied heavily on their elite bullpen because of their question marks and injuries in their rotation.

Those questions will only amplify if they don't improve the starting pitching in these winter months. Michael King is at the top of their priority list.

King is set to enter his age-32 season, but the question is with what team? He will be a hot commodity this winter if he opts out, ranking among the more highly-touted pitchers along with Tarik Skubal, Trevor Rogers and Freddy Peralta. 

King opted out of his contract, but the Padres are still among the favorites to keep him. Outside of King, the Padres will likely look to external improvements.

The Padres will have the opportunity to nail their starting pitching this winter, and it will come at a cost.

Skubal stands out as the premier free agent available this winter, and the Padres could emerge as a serious suitor. Rogers and Peralta are among the other options worth considering.

The Padres have also been connected to potential trade targets, including Drew Rasmussen of the Tampa Bay Rays. Whether San Diego addresses its pitching needs through free agency or the trade market, the priority remains the same: assembling a significantly stronger starting rotation for 2027.

Without major improvements in that department, making a legitimate World Series run will be an uphill battle.

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