Padres’ exposed depth quietly dares A.J. Preller to make one more bold add

This version of the Padres is sturdy where it counts and fragile where it hurts. And tight margins are basically an engraved invitation for Preller to start plotting something loud.

San Diego brought back Michael King on a three-year deal, and that at least stabilizes the top of the rotation. But the “what now?” starts immediately after that. Yu Darvish is expected to miss all of 2026 following UCL repair with an internal brace. And even after 2026, Darvish is likely to retire before returning to the mound. The Padres need innings they can trust, and that’s a very different shopping list.

Padres’ uneasy depth chart quietly dares Preller to make one more move

Then there’s the lineup’s soft underbelly: infield corner depth. The Padres can talk themselves into versatility and matchups all they want, but at some point you need real answers at 1B/DH that don’t hinge on everything going perfectly. Sung-mun Song helps — he’s a useful piece, and a flexibility add. But he doesn’t erase the feeling that the roster has a couple load-bearing spots being held up by optimism and duct tape.

That’s where the “dare” comes in. Preller’s whole identity is that he doesn’t sit with discomfort. He attacks it. The problem is, this version of the Padres isn’t operating in the same financial playground as the Preller Who Wouldn’t Stop. Any “bold add” now has to be a magic trick: money moved out, money tucked into the right years, maybe even a painful conversation about which contracts are clogging the lane.

That’s why the speculation keeps circling big-name solutions. Because everyone can see the outline of what the Padres still need. Even losing Dylan Cease (and the kind of swing-and-miss he brought) makes the rotation’s margin for error feel thinner. 

The roster is good enough to tempt Preller into one last shove. Not because the Padres are desperate (though they are close) — because they’re close enough to make restraint feel like the bigger risk.