Padres’ next move might be a nervous bet on a midseason return

The Padres continue to remain in the market for low-end starting pitchers to fill the back of their rotation. This has always been a significant need for the team, and A.J. Preller has publicly acknowledged as much, but we knew it would be an uphill battle for them to fill every hole in the starting lineup.

Two start, the Padres re-signed Michael King on a three-year, $75 million contract. This paired him alongside Nick Pivetta, as the two are set to headline the first two spots in the rotation. San Diego also awaits the return of right-hander Joe Musgrove, who missed all of 2025 recovering from Tommy John Surgery. However, there are still two more vacancies that need to be filled ahead of spring training.

Bleacher Report’s Jordan Montgomery suggestion dares the Padres to get aggressive

While plenty of options do still exist, the Padres have to be meticulous about who they choose to bring in. The team already sits at $24.6 million over the luxury tax threshold, and obviously doens’t want to pay additional taxes to the league. To get back under that threshold, the team would need to trade away salary, such as that of Jake Cronenworth.

From here on out, the Padres will need to make small signings to bolster the rotation, nothing big. The team could throw a short prove-it deal at one southpaw trying to turn his career around.

Montgomery hasn’t pitched since 2024 after undergoing Tommy John Surgery. In the time he saw, he posted a 6.23 ERA over 117 innings pitched. Not good, considering he was being paid $25 million that season.

But with the few options that the Padres have, why not give the 33-year-old a dying chance to resurrect his career?

It will be very interesting to see what Preller has in mind as we inch closer to spring training.