The San Diego Padres are lining up a meeting with Tarik Skubal while exploring other ways to fill their rotation. MLB Network’s Jon Morosi reported interest in free-agent right-hander Dustin May from a group that includes San Diego. A.J. Preller is also getting calls about his catchers. I’d use the free-agent market to cover the back of the rotation and hold out for a starter with multiple years of club control in any catcher deal.
What’s Been Reported on the Padres
Ronald Blum of The Associated Press reported that the Padres are among six teams set to meet with Skubal. Kevin Acee of The San Diego Union-Tribune reported the meeting is tentatively set for the middle of next week and that new owners Kwanza Jones and José E. Feliciano are expected to attend. The meeting would give the Padres a chance to make their case in a market that also includes the Dodgers and Mets.
Preller said San Diego remains interested in Michael King and Nick Pivetta. King opted out after making 32 starts, and the Padres declined Pivetta’s option after he made eight. The club has signed Ryan Weiss to a one-year major league deal with a club option for 2028. Weiss has two major league starts, and seven pitchers who started for the Padres in 2026 reached free agency.
Preller also acknowledged that teams have called about San Diego’s catching depth. MLB.com’s AJ Cassavell identified Freddy Fermin and Luis Campusano as the likely subjects of those inquiries. With Ethan Salas in the mix, the Padres have three options they used down the stretch. Those calls give Preller another way to add pitching while he finds out what starters will cost in free agency.
The Athletic’s Dennis Lin reported interest in Seiya Suzuki, Shota Imanaga, and posted Hanshin Tigers slugger Teruaki Sato, as MLB.com detailed. Acee also reported that adding a right fielder could put Fernando Tatis Jr. at second more often. Meanwhile, the Padres have made a $23.15 million qualifying offer to Adrián Morejón. Will Sammon, Ken Rosenthal, and Katie Woo of The Athletic reported that some teams see Morejón as a starter and that a person familiar with his market said he prefers to relieve, as Heavy covered this week.
What I’d Ask for in a Catcher Trade
May made 31 starts with a 4.70 ERA in 145.2 innings this year. His Statcast record shows why the number of turns tells only part of the story. He averaged just over five innings in 21 starts for St. Louis and about 3.2 in 10 for Milwaukee. I’d consider him for the back of the rotation. I’d also budget for a starter who regularly pitches into the sixth inning. Milwaukee acquired May in August, which made him ineligible for a qualifying offer. Signing him would preserve both San Diego’s catching depth and its draft picks.
That’s the standard I’d use on the trade calls. San Diego sent Ryan Bergert and Stephen Kolek to Kansas City for Ferminin 2025. If Preller deals a catcher now, I’d want a starter who can take regular turns and remain under club control beyond 2027. If the return is a pitcher San Diego could reasonably match in free agency, I’d keep the catcher and spend on the arm.
Campusano, in particular, has value beyond his work behind the plate. Ty France and Miguel Andújar are both free agents, and they combined for 754 plate appearances in 2026. Add Campusano’s 248, and the three right-handed hitters accounted for 1,002 plate appearances in 2026, per Baseball Savant. If all three leave, San Diego could give Salas more time behind the plate and would still need a plan for the missing right-handed at-bats. Campusano’s .363 on-base percentage makes him a useful designated hitter when someone else catches.
That makes the cost of the next bat worth checking before Preller trades one. If Suzuki declines Chicago’s qualifying offer, signing him would cost San Diego its second- and fifth-highest draft picks and $1 million in international bonus space under the rules for luxury-tax payors. Sato carries a posting fee to Hanshin. I’d establish where either hitter would play before attaching those costs to the lineup. Suzuki’s five outs above average in 2026 give the Padres a reason to play him in the outfield if they sign him. Manny Machado already occupies Sato’s primary position, third base. A regular spot in left field would give Sato a clearer path and leave the designated hitter open for other bats.
I’d also plan around Morejón’s 86 innings of relief as a separate job. If he accepts the offer by Nov. 17, the Padres can pencil him in ahead of Mason Miller and account for that salary. If he declines and signs elsewhere before the draft, San Diego would get a pick after the fourth round under the current rules and have to cover those late innings. The Nov. 20 tender deadline can add players to the market before the collective bargaining agreement expires Dec. 1. I’d keep taking calls through those November deadlines. A starter who can help for several years is worth discussing. A short-term innings fix is a job the Padres can try to fill in free agency.
Padres Rumors Start With Tarik Skubal and Lead to a Catcher Trade Decision