Ahead of this summer’s trade deadline, the San Diego Padres are anticipated to act aggressively as the front office looks to bolster the pitching staff.
Despite rotational inconsistency and injuries, San Diego has managed to survive in the National League this season. There may be some All-Star pitchers available on the trade front as a result, and the front office should make some significant deals at the deadline.
If the Padres can add more to the rotation, it would help this team come playoff time. Joe Musgrove and Nick Pivetta could return to the starting lineup before the year is out, but it still makes sense to add at the trade deadline.
The San Diego Union-Tribune’s Kevin Acee, a Padres source, has revealed that the organization plans to pursue a few All-Star arms this deadline. Acee lists Freddy Peralta of the New York Mets, Sandy Alcúnara of the Miami Marlins, and Tarik Skubal of the Detroit Tigers as possible targets.
With this news, the big question is which All-Star pitcher should the Padres go after?
Case For Tarik Skubal
For every team in need of a starting pitcher this season, Skubal is the big fish. The Tigers are reportedly more likely to trade the left-hander as their season gets out of control because he will be a free agency at the end of the current campaign.
The Padres would have a few more months to persuade Skubal to remain in San Diego this offseason if they were able to sign him. Despite the possibility that he might leave as a rental in the winter, this is the main advantage of trading for him.
But adding the two-time Cy Young award winner would completely bolster the World Series chances for this club. With an ERA of 2.70 over 43.1 innings, a trade would be worthwhile for the Padres despite Skubal’s surgery this season.
He’s expected to return potentially as early as June.
Case For Sandy Alcántara
Over the past few years, Alcúnara has been connected to the Padres; nevertheless, his season has been somewhat inconsistent. After a great start to 2026, the right-hander has come back down to earth a little bit.
He has pitched 75.1 innings for the Marlins in 12 starts with an overall ERA of 4.66. Alcántara has been in trade talks for years, with the Marlins holding firm on a high price.
The veteran’s $21 million club option in 2027 would offer the Padres some leeway. However, the Padres might want to seek elsewhere given his history of injuries, the cost of hiring him, and his lack of consistency since returning from Tommy John surgery.
Case for Freddy Peralta
Since Peralta will be a free agent at the end of the season, he is in a similar situation to Skubal. However, given how poorly the Mets have performed this season, he might be less expensive to acquire in a trade than Skubal.
With an ERA of 3.52 and 61.1 innings pitched in 11 starts, the right-hander has been effective for New York. Peralta has excellent stuff on the mound, with a five-pitch mix that can confuse hitters throughout a game.
Prior to his trade to the Mets, Peralta was linked to the Padres over the summer. Out of the three pitchers, pursuing Peralta makes the most sense because he is capable of leading this team in the rotation moving forward.
