The San Diego Padres need to have a new game plan heading into the offseason. Especially after they confirmed earlier this week that their starting pitcher, Yu Darvish, will miss the entire 2026 season following his elbow surgery. This comes as a huge setback for the San Diego rotation that was already in flux. Meanwhile, Michael King and Dylan Cease are set to hit free agency. If these two depart, it’ll be San Diego’s top priority to find more phenoms like Nick Pivetta. Beyond them, Joe Musgrove has injury concerns, too. So, it’s pretty clear the Padres will be looking to add a few more arms to their rotation this season.

Padres longtime fan and insider AI Scott recently said it would be a dream offseason for the Padres if they managed to land some of these free agents: Ranger Suarez, Michael King, Tatsuya Imai, Shota Imanaga, and Brandon Woodruff.

Ranger Suárez earned All-Star honors in 2024 but was surprisingly left out last season despite another strong showing. He finished the year with a 3.20 ERA over 157 1/3 innings and recorded a career-high 151 strikeouts. In his lone postseason appearance, he allowed just one run across five solid innings.

Now hitting free agency, Suárez stands out as one of the top arms available. He won’t come cheap, though. ESPN’s Kiley McDaniel projects him to land a four-year, $92 million deal, though there’s a chance his contract could push into nine figures. He’ll be 30 when the new season begins.

On the other hand, when Padres’ starter-turned-reliever-turned-starter Michael King enters the market, he’s expected to draw plenty of interest from teams other than the Padres. The 30-year-old right-hander declined his side of a mutual option with the San Diego Padres, turning down a guaranteed $15 million to explore the open market.

When it comes to Shōta Imanaga, here are a couple of things the Padres need to know. Apparently, the Cubs decided not to exercise the three-year option on his contract, and the left-hander followed by declining his one-year player option. That officially made him a free agent this offseason. Across the last two seasons, the 32-year-old has been a steady presence on the mound. He has gone 24-11 with a 3.28 ERA across 54 starts, striking out 291 while issuing just 54 walks in 318 innings.

Another potential option for the Padres is 28-year-old Japanese hurler Tatsuya Imai. He’s expected to be posted by his NPB team, the Seibu Lions, this winter. Imai, listed at 5’11” and 155 pounds, has a frame similar to Imanaga’s, who stands at 5’10” and 175 pounds. While some MLB teams might hesitate to offer a multi-year deal to a smaller pitcher, it’ll be interesting to see if the Padres are one of them, too.

Lastly, the Padres could also set their sights on Brandon Woodruff this offseason. The Brewers phenom will be entering his age-33 season and has dealt with his share of injuries in recent years. Still, when healthy, he remains one of the best starters in the game. That makes his contract situation a tricky one, but there’s no question he’d be a huge addition to any MLB rotation.

While it’s likely that at least two of them could be wearing a Padres uniform next season, San Diego is also working to retain two of its own starting pitchers before they hit free agency.

The San Diego Padres are going all in to keep their star players

The Padres reached the postseason but fell to the Chicago Cubs in the first round after finishing the regular season with a 90-72 record. San Diego’s pitching staff was among the best in baseball, posting a 3.63 ERA, the third-lowest in the league.

Dylan Cease and Michael King were key pieces of that success. However, both are entering free agency this offseason.

According to MLB.com’s AJ Cassavell, the Padres are hoping to keep the veteran duo in San Diego. The team has extended qualifying offers to both Cease and King ahead of free agency.

Despite having somewhat poor seasons,  fans expect both Cease and King to earn more on the open market than by accepting San Diego’s qualifying offers. Losing both would be a major blow to the Padres next year. Although they’ll at least receive draft-pick compensation if the veteran starters sign elsewhere.