The San Diego Padres have been known for one thing over the last few years. Whether the offense is “Slam Diego” or in a historical rut, whether the starting rotation is elite or strung together with Scotch tape, the bullpen is elite.
The Friars have been lauded by many to have the best relief corps in all of MLB. Heading into the 2026 season, the bullpen is by far the greatest strength in San Diego.
As the final games of Spring Training are played these next weeks, there are a few spots remaining for
the Padres to fill.
Obvious roster inclusions
Most teams carry eight relievers on their 26-man roster. San Diego will probably do the same despite toying with the idea of a six-man starting rotation. Doing so would lose the bullpen depth they crave so it’s unlikely for that to be the case.
Some pitchers fill clear roles on the staff. Mason Miller will be the team’s closer. There’s a case to be made that he could be the best closer in all of baseball next year.
Adrian Morejon, Jason Adam and Jeremiah Estrada will all return and fill the same high-leverage roles they excelled in last season.
David Morgan figures to be included in that group as well after his fantastic rookie campaign last season. After a bumpy start, he finished with a 2.66 ERA across 47 ⅓ innings.
Beyond that, Wandy Peralta will likely fill a similar role to last year’s as a lefty who can serviceably cover innings. But after that, the lines blur on who might join the relief corps.
The fight for the last two spots
That covers six of the bullpen spots. It gets tricky after that. The race has yet to be narrowed down and will be over the next two weeks. With Yuki Matsui possibly starting the season on the injured list, the current frontrunners are Kyle Hart, Logan Gillaspie, Bradgley Rodriguez and Jackson Wolf.
Kyle Hart
After winning the KBO equivalent of the Cy Young in 2024, Hart signed a deal with the Padres to be the club’s fifth starter in 2025. But he struggled with consistency as a starter and was sent down to Triple-A El Paso.
But later in the season he returned to San Diego as a reliever and pitched to much better results. So far this spring Hart has yet to allow a run across 8 ⅔ innings of Cactus League play. If he keeps that up he’ll be poised to fill out the bullpen given his ability to cover multiple innings.
Logan Gillaspie
Gillaspie impressed at the beginning of last season with a 2.57 ERA across 7.0 innings and was used as a reliever who could cover several innings.
His problem was limiting walks and hits, with a below-average 1.57 WHIP. But he’s also yet to allow a run and has brought his WHIP down to 0.65 across 7 ⅔ innings.
Bradgley Rodriguez
Showcasing an impressive fastball, Rodriguez made his MLB debut late last season, making seven appearances for the big-league club. In that time he recorded a 1.17 ERA and a 0.91 WHIP.
But what was most exciting was his ability to limit opponents to a .160 batting average. That ability has carried over this spring, with Rodriguez lowering his WHIP to 0.50 and not allowing a run in 6.0 innings of Cactus League play.
The number six prospect for San Diego could factor in as a major part of the plans moving forward if he keeps pitching the way he is now.
Jackson Wolf
Wolf made his MLB debut in 2023 for the Friars, only making one start for the club. He’s been used mostly as a starting pitcher in the minors. But without a clear track to a starting opportunity it seems likely he could make some relief appearances.
Across a team-leading 9 ⅔ innings this spring, Wolf has logged a 1.93 ERA with seven strikeouts. If he can limit the walks it would force San Diego to call him up to the majors.
Whoever ends up with the final spots for the Friars, what’s certain is that they have a great problem on their hands: too many good options.
