The San Diego Padres signed a right-handed pitcher on Tuesday to a major league contract.

The Padres starting pitchers accounted for the fourth-fewest innings last season, leading to an immense disadvantage for the overtaxed bullpen come postseason. The newly-signed hurler posted a 2.87 ERA across 30 starts in Korea Baseball Organization in 2025, and made nine appearances (two starts) with the Houston Astros at the major league level in 2026.

In other news, three free agent targets have been revealed from a team insider as the offseason heats up. Though starting pitching has been a major pressure point and is expected to continue to be pursued through the offseason, two of the players on the list address the offense and would provide a much-needed spark to the batting order.

Finally, another player linked to San Diego is Los Angeles Dodgers free agent left-handed reliever Alex Vesia.

With the uncertainty surrounding bullpen staple Adrian Morejon as he continues to generate tons of interest this offseason, Vesia would present a cheaper option without much of a drop off in production. According to Sports Illustrated's Nicholas Selbe and Will Laws, Vesia would be quite the fit for the Friars.

"It’s difficult to find a reliever as consistent as Vesia, who’s developed into one of the sport’s most dependable southpaws since becoming a fixture in the Dodgers’ bullpen in 2021," Laws wrote. "Over his six years in Los Angeles, Vesia has a 2.87 ERA with a 32.6% strikeout rate in 332 ⅓ innings, and has remarkably put up a zero in 28 of his 31 postseason appearances.

"He even showcased an improved changeup this year to help him deal with righties more effectively. The only thing preventing Vesia from getting a shot as a closer is his propensity for walks (fourth percentile in MLB in 2026), but he otherwise features a remarkably risk-free profile for a reliever and should be a popular man on the open market."

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