The San Diego Padres are in real need of an anchor in their starting rotation.

There's no guarantee Michael King will re-up with the Friars after he opted out of his contract. Joe Musgrove is about to turn age 34 — and he's coming off a two-year absence due to continual elbow issues. Walker Buehler, Casey Mize and Robbie Ray are all free agents.

With the rotation a major question mark, it's widely expected that the Padres could dip their toes into the open market waters.

One of the names most associated with San Diego is veteran starting pitcher Freddy Peralta.

Peralta, 30, was ranked as the second-best free agent in this current class. per Jim Bowden of The Athletic. Despite somewhat of a rocky regular season, Peralta's postseason performance with the Tampa Bay Rays was sensational. He was named the 2026 ALCS MVP after notching a 0.75 ERA over three appearances (12 innings pitched).

"Despite his struggles in New York, he will enter this winter as the second-best starting pitcher on the open market," Bowden wrote. "He is one of only two starting pitchers who have made at least 30 starts for four consecutive years. I’d like to see him remain in Tampa, but am not sure they’ll be able to play financially at the level it’s going to take to sign him now."

Along with the Padres, Bowden predicts that both Chicago ball clubs (Cubs, White Sox) will also be in on Peralta.

Does Freddy Peralta Make Sense for the Padres?

From a culture standpoint, Peralta fits San Diego like a glove. It's a team featuring a nice blend of veterans and young players. He immediately offers the group some real gravitas based on his lengthy track record as one of the better arms over the last handful of years.

Much of his success came in the National League, and being able to pitch in a pitcher-friendly park likely would be an attractive selling point.

It's up in the air as to how much Peralta will command. Much of that may be determined by how fellow free agent Tarik Skubal sets the market. Once Skubal is signed, it's highly likely Peralta will have no shortage of options.

For the Padres to try and make a real run in the National League — as well as in the NL West — the team needs to make a splash move. Peralta would be an excellent start.

How Much Will Freddy Peralta Cost?

Bowden predicts Peralta to sign a five-year, $140 million contract this offseason, which would be an average annual value of $28 million. Spotrac projects a seven-year, $201 million deal, with an AAV of $28.7 million.

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