Padres facing stiff competition from division rivals for even modest rotation upgrades

When the San Francisco Giants brought in their former catcher, Buster Posey, to lead them in the front office, it seemed as if they were preparing to make a run to contend with the Los Angeles Dodgers and San Diego Padres at the top of the NL West.

After all, in his first season, Posey made the trade of the season by acquiring designated hitter and now first baseman, Rafael Devers, from the Boston Red Sox. This move came in June, but it wasn’t the first big-time splash Posey made, as he brought in shortstop Willy Adames on a seven-year, $182 million contract.

Padres’ search for rotation help gets tougher with Giants chasing the same arms

Flashy signings early on made everyone across the league think that the Giants would be “for real” in the coming years. While this remains the case, ESPN’s Buster Olney reported that there is a broad line drawn in the sand when it comes to how aggressive Posey will be in the 2026 offseason.

Olney, as well as The Athletic’s Andrew Baggarly, reported that the Giants weren’t willing to meet the price for Tatsuya Imai, the top international pitching prospect this offseason. Olney specified the following…

“The Giants have been repeatedly linked to Tatusyi Imai, the premier free agent pitcher from Japan. But a lot of their market pitching inquiries have been for more modestly priced arms — a strong indication they aren’t chasing the highest priced pitchers, like Imai.”

This blueprint set by the Giants could heavily impact the Padres’ roster outlook for 2026, as their top need is starting pitching. To be more specific, they need to go after moderately priced arms to address the other holes on their roster, such as first/second base.

The Padres have already watched Dylan Cease walk, as the right-hander set the market value for starting pitchers by signing a seven-year, $210 million deal with the Toronto Blue Jays.

Michael King remains on the market, and while there are still sources out there that name the Padres as potential suitors, it is noteworthy to mention that King is one of the most intriguing options. Teams see him as a starter but are cautious to give him starter money due to the fact that he has yet to play a full season. Other teams see him as a reliever who could bolster their bullpen or give quality innings in relief.

The Padres were listed as suitors by The Athletic for Imai, but do to payroll constraints, it is unlikely the team actually brings him in.

President of baseball operations, A.J. Preller, will do his best to survey the best value options on the market, which would mean competing with Buster Posey and the Giants for starters such as Chris Bassitt, Adrian Houser, Zac Gallen, etc.

The two teams will quite literally be in an arms race, and as days pass by, it will be intriguing to see which team pounces first.