Quote from fenn68 on August 13, 2026, 3:31 am

With today off ... began to think of two of the key players for the Padres ... about to be FA ... and what would it take to resign them. Morejon and France both seem to want to stay Padres ... Padres seem to like both ... but need a mutually agreeable fair contract ... not sure what that will be.

1. Morejon (27) ... maybe actually be underrated by the fans with the glory of closing going to Miller. However, over the past 3 years he is the BEST LHRP in MLB (5.7 WAR) ... 3rd BEST RP behind Miller and Smith (CLEV). Combine age and that 3 year production and should get a Hader / elite RP contract even if not being a closer. Padre clearly understand that that Miller / Morejon end of game due is critical to winning. $60MM/3 years?
2. France (32) ... a bit harder to handicap. Outstanding season (295/349/525 with gold glove defense at 1B) and had strong seasons in 2021-22 BUT fell to slightly below average in 2022-25. 1B just don't draw the interest unless in super star realm. As a result France had to sign a MINOR LEAGUE deal with the Padres for just over a $1MM. Combine being a 1B, age, and inconsistent performance in past years ... plus think about the deal Profar got with what could be argued as a similar profile (3 years / $42MM) ... same for France? Too much either in years or AAV?

If those assumptions prove valid ... that would be somewhat between $30-45MM in new commitments (long term) to a payroll that is likely already going to be over the CBT target.

Not an easy call for Preller given the expected gap in SP with all the Padre FA to be (not expecting money to be unlimited) offset by the realistic assessment of the FA market for SP and can he sign any of the better SP for similar money? Probably not given the demand of any decent SP goes at a premium.

Side: buying King out of his opt out with a guaranteed extension should also be a priority given the state of SP.

Thoughts?

 

Quote from MrPadre19 on August 13, 2026, 3:34 am

I think they prioritize France over Morejon if it’s one or the other.

Morejon will have plenty of other suitors and even w/o him the BP would still be a strength

 

Quote from BoosterSD on August 13, 2026, 7:13 am

Quote from fenn68 on August 13, 2026, 3:31 am

Not an easy call for Preller given the expected gap in SP with all the Padre FA to be (not expecting money to be unlimited) offset by the realistic assessment of the FA market for SP and can he sign any of the better SP for similar money? Probably not given the demand of any decent SP goes at a premium.

Side: buying King out of his opt out with a guaranteed extension should also be a priority given the state of SP.

Thoughts?

 

It appears that SD is about to save about $14M with the Pivetta situation, so there is some money that can be redirected to other players. And then depending on his health, maybe Pivetta resigns to a more friendly deal with incentives based on health and performance.

A rework with King could be useful. Could they do the same with Musgrove, extend his contract and lower the $20M for next season? Plus, what is the status of Darvish? Is he rehabbing? Is that going well? He was thinking about retiring, or is he feeling well enough that he could actually pitch next season?

Plus, really need to see where the CBA finishes up as well.

Quote from fenn68 on August 13, 2026, 7:26 am

Quote from MrPadre19 on August 13, 2026, 3:34 am

I think they prioritize France over Morejon if it’s one or the other.

Morejon will have plenty of other suitors and even w/o him the BP would still be a strength

 

Strength yes, but shutdown with Hart - Peralta (maybe) - Matsui (maybe) as the end of game LHRP? With likely a return to a SP issue with depth, do they need to maximize RP to cover game after game starting in the 6th inning?

Want both ... and price is paramount ... but age and past three year performance favors Morejon with the bigger bucks. Hard to forecast France, given his past 3 years is he likely to revert to "average" and is it easier for Preller to come up with an "average" 1B for less a commitment?

Don't really see anyone "in-house" that I can project as even coming close to replacing either Morejon or France with similar production. So, likely whomever they don't sign will be perceived as a mistake (at least before 2027 plays out).

Quote from MrPadre19 on August 13, 2026, 7:51 am

Quote from fenn68 on August 13, 2026, 7:26 am

Quote from MrPadre19 on August 13, 2026, 3:34 am

I think they prioritize France over Morejon if it’s one or the other.

Morejon will have plenty of other suitors and even w/o him the BP would still be a strength

 

Strength yes, but shutdown with Hart - Peralta (maybe) - Matsui (maybe) as the end of game LHRP? With likely a return to a SP issue with depth, do they need to maximize RP to cover game after game starting in the 6th inning?

Want both ... and price is paramount ... but age and past three year performance favors Morejon with the bigger bucks. Hard to forecast France, given his past 3 years is he likely to revert to "average" and is it easier for Preller to come up with an "average" 1B for less a commitment?

Don't really see anyone "in-house" that I can project as even coming close to replacing either Morejon or France with similar production. So, likely whomever they don't sign will be perceived as a mistake (at least before 2027 plays out).

Morejon will get Closer money from someone.

I'm not saying it would be ideal to keep France over Morejon just that IMO it's more likely.

I'm sure both want to stay...France a SDSU guy and Morejon longest tenured Padre.

We have no offensive prospects ready to contribute at the major league level other than maybe Salas.

We may not have high leverage lefties ready...but we do have several relievers.

As with this past off season starting pitching will again be the big question mark.

 

Quote from Randy Manese on August 13, 2026, 9:30 am

I think there is a lot more to the Morejon - Padres relationship than just him being the longest tenured Padre.  He defected from Cuba in October 2015 at only 16 years of age to the Dominican Republic to establish residency and train.  He was declared a free agent in July 2016 and subsequently signed an $11 million dollar bonus with the Padres, heading their huge 2016 free agent class and is the lone remaining signee from that group.  Given MLB rule changes after the Padres broke the bank in 2016, that bonus will be the most ever paid by the Padres to an international free agent so Morejon has been in good financial shape since he was a teenager.

For his career, in his early years, Morejon had injury after injury - left forearm, left shoulder - culminating in Tommy John surgery in 2022 and a long rehab period afterward.  If you set aside the 63 innings he pitched in both 2017 and 2018, he only pitched a maximum total of 44 innings in a year for the 5 year period 2019 - 2023 yet the Padres stayed with him and let him heal and mature until he finally broke out in 2024 with a personal record of 70 combined major and minor inning pitched.  Even this year, when he struggled early in the season, the Padres never wavered in their belief of him and his talent and he basically has returned to 2025 form with just a minor hiccup or two in the late July early August period.

He has professed his love for his teammates, the city and fans, and not wanting to be traded at the deadline.  In his time with the Padres, he got married and from what I've read he and his wife are very comfortable with other Padres teammates wives, especially those with similar Latino roots.  He knows he has one of the best pitching coaches in the organization and by all accounts is humble about his accomplishments knowing that another injury could be lurking around the corner.

In my opinion, the Padres will try to get at least a 3 year agreement with Morejon, structuring it so that if he is willing to try to convert to a SP (which he knows the Padres will need in2027), his salary will jump into the high teen to low 20's range over that period which would likely be more than if was to be signed elsewhere as a relatively untried closer.  The 3 year agreement will give him an opportunity to be a free agent at the relatively young age of 30 with not that much mileage overall on his arm even if he remains a RP.  I think this is one of the key moves that new ownership makes as soon as they can and Morejon will not hesitate to sign an extension.  If will greatly surprise me if Morejon jumps to another team simply for more money - he seems too much invested personally with this team which is the hope we Padres fans have for him to stay here.

 

Quote from fenn68 on August 14, 2026, 11:19 am

Joe Musgrove is doing another rehab in EP tonight ... if it goes well (maybe 60+/- pitches) we could see him activated probably for next Friday when Vasquez is scheduled to start (Vasquez with some comfort coming out of the pen would be the logical piggyback option). Probably better for Musgrove to return as a SP so he can set-up his appearance with better certainty.

If he needs another rehab ... probably activated for the next Vasquez start.

Would not expect the old Musgrove right out of the blocks but he will have maybe 6-8 starts before the playoffs to refine his return. Even if just "OK" ... the staff should be better with Musgrove (SP), Vasquez (SP to RP), Canning (RP gone). Expect Stammen to have a pretty controlled usage for the first 4-5 starts.

Also heard a suggestion that if Musgrove is effective ... might see some 6 man rotation to take some work off the starting arms down the stretch ... fresher for the playoffs.

Quote from Randy Manese on August 14, 2026, 11:38 am

When the rosters expand to 28 on 9/1, the six man rotation would seem to be very beneficial for the Padres.  By that time, we should have brought Adam back (or can bring up Morgan if Adam not ready) and that would set up our playoff pitching roster.  Don't count on either Pivetta or Giolito to pitch in the playoffs, although Pivetta may get an end of the season start or two if healthy and the Padres have a relatively safe lead in their playoff standings.  The problem for the latter course of action is who would we drop from the active roster.  Could option out Rodriguez or Hart but that's a problem we don't have to deal with at this stage of the season.

Quote from fenn68 on August 14, 2026, 12:11 pm

Quote from Randy Manese on August 14, 2026, 11:38 am

When the rosters expand to 28 on 9/1, the six man rotation would seem to be very beneficial for the Padres.  By that time, we should have brought Adam back (or can bring up Morgan if Adam not ready) and that would set up our playoff pitching roster.  Don't count on either Pivetta or Giolito to pitch in the playoffs, although Pivetta may get an end of the season start or two if healthy and the Padres have a relatively safe lead in their playoff standings.  The problem for the latter course of action is who would we drop from the active roster.  Could option out Rodriguez or Hart but that's a problem we don't have to deal with at this stage of the season.

Preller has a ton of options (or maybe not) with a lot of health issues unresolved.

Most seem to think Canning is out (DFA) when Musgrove returns but not sure how the Padres view that if they want to maximize options to protect against more injuries in SEPT. If they hold Musgrove to Sept 1 he could be the extra SP and they hang on to Canning. Canning the mop up guy.

Have doubts Adam (not yet resumed intense throwing and not yet rehab) will be ready for weeks (if at all), Giolito has gone radio silent so likely no return, Pivetta still an unknown but no word on another rehab (so at best SEP but maybe never). Morgan can be recalled if needed (Sears too but unlikely they will need a SP). I guess Jacob ... but does not seem like a playoff run arm.

Depending on how the next two weeks go ... might make moves to avoid DFA Canning just as insurance (can make a different call in SEP). Maybe delay Musgrove to SEP or option Hart or Rodriguez only to be recalled on SEP 1. That leaves Morgan as a strong call-up option for AAA as needed.