Padres Eye Trevor Rogers in Rotation Rebuild
Jim Bowden of The Athletic has linked the left-hander to San Diego as a best fit on a proposed three-year, $64 million deal.
Updated on Nov. 4, 2026 in Baseball
Jim Bowden of The Athletic has identified Trevor Rogers as a best fit for the San Diego Padres on a three-year, $64 million deal. The pitch comes as the Padres look to rebuild a rotation that struggled in 2026 and after Michael King opted out of the remaining two years of his contract.
Why it matters
The Padres starting rotation pitched the fourth-fewest innings in baseball in 2026 and posted a 4.42 ERA, the 10th-highest in MLB. With King's opt-out, the declined team option on Nick Pivetta, and the expected departure of Adrian Morejon, the rotation faces significant turnover.
The Padres bullpen logged the fourth-most innings in baseball and posted the fifth-lowest ERA in 2026, while Rogers recorded a career-high 169.2 innings and a 4.03 ERA. Whether Rogers can sustain his workload on a long-term deal remains unaddressed in the analysis.
The players
Trevor Rogers
Left-handed pitcher currently with the Baltimore Orioles, who recorded a career-high 169.2 innings in 2026.
Jim Bowden
Baseball analyst at The Athletic who identified Rogers as a best fit for the Padres.
San Diego Padres
Major League Baseball franchise based in San Diego seeking to rebuild its starting rotation.
The details
Bowden linked Rogers to San Diego as a best fit on a three-year, $64 million deal, noting that Rogers struck out 88 batters and walked eight in his final 13 starts of 2026. Joe Musgrove did not return until the postseason, and Nick Pivetta was out for nearly five months, compounding the rotation's problems.
Timeline
2026 season: Padres rotation and bullpen performance; Rogers records career-high 169.2 innings
2026 postseason: Padres bullpen struggles
This offseason: Bowden links Rogers to the Padres; Adrian Morejon expected to sign elsewhere
Season Trajectory
The Padres' 2026 rotation ranked fourth-fewest in innings and 10th-highest in ERA, leaving the bullpen to log the fourth-most innings in baseball. Adding a starter like Rogers would aim to shift that imbalance back toward the rotation before the 2027 season.
If the Padres add Rogers, the rotation would gain a pitcher who logged a career-high 169.2 innings, which could affect fantasy planning for the 2027 season. Fans tracking the rotation would also see how the club fills the spots left by King and Pivetta.
The takeaway
The Padres' rotation shortfall in 2026 leaves the club searching for innings, and a proposed deal for Rogers shows how teams weigh a pitcher's workload against his recent results. Readers tracking the offseason should watch whether the club acts on the rotation gap.
Further reading
For more on the franchise's roster moves, see Baseball coverage of the Padres.
Source note: This article includes information reported by Sports Illustrated.
