The San Diego Padres go into the offseason with a ton of questions. One of the most important questions is who will be in their starting rotation for the 2026 season?
Both Michael King and Dylan Cease are free agents. On top of that, the club will be without Yu Darvish next season as he underwent surgery to repair his flexor tendon and install an internal brace in his UCL.
The front office will certainly have to grab an arm or two over the winter. Lucky for them, they have a good amount of intriguing arms to consider.
ESPN insider views top KBO pitcher as the 'perfect' fit for the Padres
Framber Valdez and Ranger Suarez will likely get most of the attention throughout free agency and may not be in San Diego's price range. However, they could consider this top name from the KBO, according to ESPN's Jeff Passan.
"The highest-ceiling low-cost starter might be an unfamiliar name, having spent the past four years in Asia, but the size and stuff are both big. And whoever gets him could reap the best return to America from Korea since Merrill Kelly. Sign free agent right-hander Cody Ponce."
Passan views Cody Ponce as the perfect fit for the Padres here. He has spent the past four years in the NPB and, more recently, the KBO, where he has found a ton of success.
Ponce is coming off a season where he took home the Choi Dong-won Award. This is the award that is bestowed upon the best pitcher in the KBO each season.
Ponce could be a major help in resetting this starting rotation, and will not cost as much as someone like Valdez or Suarez. The crew over at MLB Trade Rumors believes he could be signed to a two-year, $22 million deal over the winter.
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