Padres’ A.J. Preller needs to steal Craig Breslow’s playbook for fixing the rotation

The Padres enter the 2025 winter meetings with an obvious need for their roster…starting pitching. With Michael King set to leave in search of long-term, and Dylan Cease signing with the Toronto Blue Jays for seven years, $210 million, A.J. Preller must make a move for the sake of the team’s chances to compete in 2026.

The departures of King and Cease are one thing, but people forget that Yu Darvish will miss the entirety of 2026 recovering from Tommy John Surgery. This news from about a month ago makes it all the more important for San Diego to be aggressive via free agency and trade. After a recent transaction in MLB, the front office could perhaps follow a different blueprint than expected.

A.J. Preller needs to borrow Craig Breslow’s strategy to save the Padres’ pitching staff

On Tuesday, the Boston Red Sox president of baseball operations, Craig Breslow, acquired RHP Sonny Gray from the Boston Red Sox in exchange for prospects and cash considerations.

The move removes Gray from a team that was looking to sell away most of its core over the offseason. It seemed obvious that the team would trade Gray, as well as search for trade partners for Brendan Donovan, Nolan Arenado, and Willson Contreras. 

The Red Sox called in with a team that was destined to blow up their roster. It is time for the Padres to do the same.

This would require Preller to phone the Minnesota Twins front office, as they are the definition of sellers. The team traded away eleven players at the 2025 trade deadline, and it seems as if a full-on exodus will ensue over the offseason.

Joe Ryan and Pablo Lopez are two starters in particular that the Padres should phone in about, as their time with Minnesota may come to an end by the 2026 trade deadline.

If the Padres' pitching staff wants any chance of recovering ahead of 2026, Preller needs to make moves such as this happen. It will be interesting to see how aggressive he is over the next couple of weeks.