Padres' bullpen dark horse could force a brutal roster call in spring training

Right now, the San Diego Padres have a strong bullpen — arguably the best in baseball. But what happens if one guy gets injured, and another is struggling more often than last year? What happens if Jason Adam isn't ready to return as soon as we thought?

It's unfortunate, but bullpens can teeter in success in a blink. When that happens, front offices need to step in soon and patch the wounds before the season is a lost cause. So, if this were to happen to the Padres, who could they turn to in the minor leagues?

They added Riley Pint to the club, so that's a good starting point. But what about Francis Pena? The 25-year-old has been invited to spring training this season to give him some time with big leaguers. Unfortunately, Pena isn't a young prospect anymore, and his numbers do not indicate that he is ready for the next level. But if the Padres' bullpen needs an arm, he unfortunately might be the best option.

Minor leaguer Francis Pena could be Padres' reinforcements in the bullpen if injuries pile up in 2026

Ranked No. 20 in the Padres' farm last year, Pena walked 34 batters in 52.1 innings, skyrocketing his WHIP to 1.605. He also bolstered a 9.45 ERA in September, so it's not like he was on the brink of figuring out how to pitch to Triple-A hitters. He got worse.

His slider-sinker combination is what allows him to stand out and remain a top prospect, but if this is the Padres' first or second option to save the bullpen in 2026, then we are in trouble already. This isn't a dig at Pena, either. It's more so an indictment on the Padres failing to have the right personnel on their roster to be a good team, and one with depth.

They've failed in that department, and they are probably setting up Pena to struggle if he will be deployed to San Diego in 2026. These aren't the conversations we want to be having with Spring Training just around the corner, but here we are. The Padres need everything on paper to go right in order for 2026 to go off without a hitch. But as we know, that's never the case.