What is the story about?
Joe Musgrove is returning from a missed season with his sights set on making an impact in the San Diego Padres rotation. Jackson Merrill returned at the end of the season and flashed what could be with a strong month of September to end the year. The Padres will need Musgrove and Merrill to have impact seasons if they are going to challenge for a playoff spot let alone the National League West. If Musgrove and Merrill can stay healthy and if Michael King can bounce back from his pinched nerve and sprained
knee, San Diego should find itself in contention in 2026. Gaslamp Ball asked the Friar Faithful if Musgrove or Merrill needs to have the better season for the Padres to be successful.
Padres News:
- San Diego has work to do this offseason, but AJ Cassavell of Padres.com does not think the Padres will spend much more than they already have. Cassavell does mention that a trade, which was highly speculated about following the MLB Winter Meetings, could still result in the additions San Diego needs to complete the roster.
- Jeff Sanders of the San Diego Union-Tribune looks at new addition Sung-Mun Song in his latest piece previewing the Padres’ roster for the 2026 season.
Baseball News:
- With the recent events in Venezuela, Andy McCullough of The Athletic looks at the impact it will have on MLB, the World Baseball Classic and players.
- Kazuma Okamoto met with the media and was officially introduced as a member of the Toronto Blue Jays, Tuesday. He revealed one of the deciding factors when selecting where he wanted to begin his MLB career was his daughter liking the Blue Jays logo above all others. It was also reported Tuesday that Toronto has stepped up its efforts to reach an agreement with free agent Kyle Tucker.
- The Tampa Bay Rays and the Detroit Tigers agreed to a trade that sent Justyn-Henry Malloy to Tampa Bay for cash considerations.
- The St. Louis Cardinals agreed to a trade with the Cleveland Guardians that sent left-handed pitcher Justin Bruihl to the Cardinals for cash considerations.
