The San Diego Padres have a number of free agents this offseason, but some of the biggest names on the books have unfortunately been linked to the Los Angeles Dodgers. Two key members of the pitching roster are not only projected to earn massive deals in free agency, but are projected to earn similar deals to that of the ones the Dodgers handed out in recent free agencies.

In other free agent pitching news, right-hander Nick Pivetta is projected to sign a three-year, $45 million deal this offseason, per an insider.

Pivetta missed close to five months this season due to a flexor tendon sprain, but it also triggered a clause in his deal that gave San Diego a club option that was declined. The Padres, who did not have an impressive output from their starting pitchers this past season, surprisingly declined his option earlier this offseason.

Since the option was declined, it doesn't necessarily mean that fans shouldn't expect Pivetta to be back in 2027. He is still able to sign a new deal — potentially with additional protections for the team — while also testing the open market (as he is currently doing).

Finally, to round out free agent pitching updates, southpaw reliever Adrian Morejon is projected to earn a massive contract. With some projections nearing $100 million, MLB insider Kiley McDaniel of ESPN spoke on Morejon's role as a setup man rather than a closer may affect his free agency offers, but still putting him in the vicinity (in terms of total value) of Dodgers reliever Edwin Diaz's three-year, $69 million deal he inked last offseason, which is still a steep price for San Diego.

"There is something to pitching in the ninth inning, but how much will the engaged bidders for Morejon reduce their offers due to that lack of ninth-inning experience?" McDaniel wrote. "I would not be shocked if Morejon got five years and beat [Edwin] Diaz's number."

Here’s all the latest Padres news and stories (click the headline for the full article):

Padres Tweets of the Day

Sign up for our free newsletter and follow us on Facebook and X/Twitter for the latest news.