Padres Fall in Wild Card; Pitchers Now Free Agents

The San Diego Padres ended the 2025 season with a Wild Card loss to the Chicago Cubs, scoring just five runs across the three-game series. Over the full season they ranked first in sacrifice bunts but 28th in home runs, exposing a power deficiency and raising questions about an aging core; Manny Machado publicly expressed frustration. Two Padres pitchers, Michael King and Dylan Cease, are free agents this winter; King needs to prove his health and Cease must tighten his command to restore or boost their market value, and GM A.J. Preller is expected to pursue roster upgrades, potentially targeting impact veterans such as Ryan Helsley or Bo Bichette. Separately, the Arizona Diamondbacks had a middling season and, after trading Eugenio Suárez, have been linked to a big bat like Alex Bregman if he opts out of his Red Sox deal, though he likely prefers to remain in Boston. Longtime D-backs catcher José Herrera, who was DFA'd in favor of Gabriel Moreno and James McCann and spent time in Triple-A after clearing waivers, has elected free agency but could still reunite with the organization.