Padres Season Ends in Petco Park
The San Diego Padres concluded their 2026 season with a loss in the National League Division Series (NLDS), falling to the Milwaukee Brewers in four games. The team scored 10 runs across the series but was eliminated after Game 4 ended 3-1 at Petco Park, where the Padres went 0-for-21 at the plate.
The series featured two narrow defeats against Milwaukee, with both losses coming by a single run: a 3-2 decision and a 4-3 loss. The second defeat occurred after San Diego held a 3-1 lead entering the seventh inning. This result marked the third consecutive October in which the Padres were eliminated before reaching the National League Championship Series.
Michael King started Game 2, throwing 72 pitches over five innings while allowing one earned run. He later pitched two scoreless innings in relief as San Diego won that game 4-3. King’s 2026 season included career highs of 185 innings, 32 starts, and a 4.3 bWAR. King is a free agent who has stated he is open to returning to the team.
Rotation Struggles and Roster Gaps
The Padres’ starting rotation posted a 4.42 ERA in 2026 and threw the fourth-fewest innings in the majors. Several key pitchers struggled or departed due to injury.
Nick Pivetta managed 34.2 innings around a right elbow flexor strain that cost him nearly five months. The club declined his $14 million option. Casey Mize arrived with a 2.70 ERA over 16 starts in Detroit but finished with a 7.46 ERA in 10 starts for San Diego. Robbie Ray and Walker Buehler never stabilized the back of the rotation.
Joe Musgrove returned from almost two years out and worked in relief in October. Preller stated on a conference call that the team is not starting the offseason with Musgrove as definitely their Opening Day starter, No. 3 starter, or eighth-inning guy.
The Padres’ farm system ranks among the weakest in baseball. General manager A.J. Preller spent much of what remained at the deadline on Mize and Ray.
Skubal Available Without Draft Pick Cost
Tarik Skubal, 29, is a free agent pitcher who went 12-7 with a 2.72 ERA, 186 strikeouts in 158.2 innings, a 0.96 WHIP, and 5.2 fWAR for the Tigers and Dodgers after surgery to remove a loose body from his left elbow cost him six weeks.
Since returning from flexor tendon surgery in July 2023, Skubal is 50-20 with a 2.47 ERA and 21.2 fWAR in 103 starts, producing AL Cy Young Awards in 2024 and 2025. He turns 30 on Nov. 20 and is represented by Scott Boras.
Because Skubal was traded during the season, he is not eligible for a qualifying offer, so signing him would cost no draft pick. Projections for Skubal include seven to 10 years and $350 million to $500 million, with most estimates north of $400 million.
Yoshinobu Yamamoto’s 12-year, $325 million deal with the Dodgers is the largest ever for a pitcher. Bob Nightengale of USA Today has said the bidding will not go under $325 million and could reach $400 million. ESPN’s insiders regard the Mets as the favorite, with the Dodgers and Cubs also in the mix.
The collective bargaining agreement expires Dec. 1, and Skubal has every incentive to sign before a lockout freezes the market.