Which Padres starting pitchers are under contract for 2027, and can they be trusted?

The Padres 2027 starting rotation isn’t completely empty. Honestly, they have something more frustrating than that. They have contracts, options and familiar names that can’t be mistaken for dependable starting pitchers.

Joe Musgrove and Yu Darvish remain under contract. Michael King is signed but can opt out. The Padres control Nick Pivetta’s future through a club option, and Randy Vásquez remains under team control.

The names sound plentiful, but reliable innings are considerably harder to find right now.

Padres’ 2027 rotation has more possibilities than dependable answers

Joe Musgrove

Musgrove is signed through 2027, making him an easy answer to the question. Calling him a rotation lock is still much more of a leap. The right-hander returned from elbow surgery during the postseason and showed that his stuff survived the layoff. Now the Padres must determine whether his body can handle pitching every fifth day again.

Musgrove will be 34 next season and has made only 29 regular-season starts since the beginning of 2024. We can believe in the guy. If he rebuilds his workload, he can hold a meaningful place near the front of the rotation. Until then, he remains a valuable possibility rather than a dependable foundation.

Yu Darvish

Darvish has two years remaining on his deal. Whether he will pitch either of them is a totally different question. He missed the entire 2026 season after undergoing right elbow surgery and has yet to decide whether he will attempt a comeback. He will turn 41 next summer.

Anything San Diego receives from Darvish should be treated as a bonus. Pencil him into a rotation projection if you dare, but Preller cannot enter the offseason acting as though that spot is covered. Don’t forget, he announced his retirement, then pulled it back. He’s not a lock.

Nick Pivetta

Pivetta’s extended IL stay converted his player option into a decision controlled by the Padres. That gives San Diego leverage and creates a relatively simple call if the medical review is favorable. After returning on Sept. 7, Pivetta posted a 2.05 ERA and helped the Padres win all six of his starts, including the postseason. He reminded everyone why he finished sixth in the 2025 National League Cy Young Award voting.

Declining his option would remove one of the few internal pitchers with recent evidence that he can handle a prominent starting role. The Padres already need innings. They shouldn’t create another vacancy unless his elbow gives them a reason to.

Michael King

King remains under contract for 2027 and 2028, but he can opt out, collect a $5 million buyout and enter free agency. After making 32 starts with a 3.21 ERA and recording a 0.64 ERA across 14 postseason innings, King has every reason to test the market. The Padres cannot construct their rotation as though he’s staying.

A reunion would return San Diego’s best starter. Losing him would send Preller shopping for an ace. King’s decision could define the entire offseason.

Randy Vásquez

Vásquez lacks the reputation of the veterans around him, but he offers reasonable expectations that he’ll take the ball. His ceiling still looks more like a fourth or fifth starter than a guy who will make the postseason rotation. But he is perfectly useful. Every rotation needs someone who can cover an ordinary night without leaning too heavily on the bullpen.

He can be trusted with a back-end job. Asking him to carry anything larger would expose how little San Diego did to strengthen the group around him.

JP Sears will enter 2027 without minor-league options, while prospect Luis Gutierrez should receive an invite to spring training with an opportunity to compete. Neither is a sure thing.

The Padres’ internal picture comes with plenty of warning labels and an unfinished rotation. Preller has patched thin rotations together before. He will likely need that creativity again.

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