What is the story about?
The anticipation of Opening Day is winding down as the first pitch of the San Diego Padres 2026 season is just hours away. Over many hours and more than 30 Spring Training Games, first-time manager Craig Stammen and the Padres have finalized their roster and are set to take the field against the Detroit Tigers and their ace pitcher and two-time Cy Young Award-winner Tarik Skubal, who will be making his first start at Petco Park. Cheri Bell of Gaslamp Ball looks at how the roster is set and what factors
went into the various decisions about the players who will be wearing the San Diego uniform at Petco Park this afternoon.
Padres News:
- The Padres closed Spring Training with 39 players on the active roster, and the team opened another place on the 40-man roster with Yu Darvish, who will miss the 2026 season after offseason elbow surgery, being placed on the Restricted List.
- Jackson Merrill may be looking forward to Opening Day more than any other Padres player. After multiple injuries and IL stays last season, the star centerfielder is looking to help San Diego get back to the playoffs by winning games because as he put it, “If you’re not playing to win, what the hell are you playing for?”
- The Padres made some additions to Petco Park, and the Friar Faithful will get to see the new features in action later today. Tom Krasovic of the San Diego Union-Tribune provides some insight about the two new video boards added to the ballpark and what they will provide fans during games.
- Kevin Acee of the San Diego Union-Tribune reported the identity of the fourth person vying to purchase the San Diego franchise has been revealed and it is Tom Gores, the founder of Platinum Equity and the owner of the Detroit Pistons in the NBA. Gores joins Jose E. Feliciano, Dan Friedkin and Joe Lacob in the bidding for the Padres.
- Acee also reported on another contract extension given out by the Padres… this time it was Padres’ radio play-by-play broadcaster Jesse Agler. The multi-year contract will keep Agler in the radio booth for the foreseeable future. The franchise also announced details about the broadcast schedule for the 2026 season.
Baseball News:
- The New York Yankees used a five-run second inning against the San Francisco Giants and their ace Logan Webb to work to a 7-0 win in the opening game of the 2026 season, Wednesday. The game provided viewers with the first ABS Challenge ever in an MLB game and the review confirmed the call made by the umpire. Aaron Judge had a rough start to his season despite the Yankees scoring seven runs and he finished with a three-strikeout performance.
- Barry Bonds visited with Matt Vasgersian, CC Sabathia and Hunter Pence in the broadcast booth during the opening game and talked about how the San Francisco legend almost became a New York Yankees legend.
