PEORIA, Ariz. -- The front end of the Padres’ rotation is set. The back end is now coming into focus, as well.
On Saturday, San Diego agreed to sign right-handers Griffin Canning and Germán Márquez, sources told MLB.com. The deals -- which have not yet been confirmed by the club and are pending physicals -- followed a separate agreement with veteran slugger Nick Castellanos to round out the offense.
A ruptured left Achilles tendon ended Canning’s season last June. To that point, he was in the midst of a renaissance season, the best of his six-year career. Overall, he posted a 3.77 ERA in 16 starts for the Mets.
Márquez, meanwhile, had previously spent 10 seasons pitching for the Rockies. But he missed the majority of the 2023 and ‘24 seasons due to Tommy John surgery. In his first full season back in ‘25, he posted a 6.70 ERA across 26 starts.
Márquez immediately slots into the wide-open race for the final place or two in the starting rotation. Canning should eventually be in that mix as well, but it’s unclear when he might return from injury, and it’s possible he’d miss the start of the season.
Canning’s emergence
The 2025 season brought a remarkable turnaround for Canning, who, just a year earlier, went 6-13 with a 5.19 ERA in 32 games (31 starts) for the Angels. The Mets swooped in, taking a flier on a pitcher in need of a change of scenery and a second act.
Sure enough, Canning overhauled his repertoire in New York. He retooled his slider and his changeup -- adding more depth to each pitch -- and leaned on them more frequently. He began pitching backward more often, throwing offspeed pitches earlier in counts and using the fastball late. His slider is his best swing-and-miss offering, with a 33.5% whiff rate, while the opposition hit just .196 against his revamped changeup.
While Canning allowed a lot of hard contact -- his hard-hit rate (45.7%) was in the 11th percentile -- he excelled at keeping the ball on the ground. He induced ground balls at a 51.6% clip, easily the highest rate of his career.
A second-round Draft pick by the Angels in 2017, Canning debuted with them two years later as a 22-year-old. Once a highly touted prospect, he never quite lived up to the hype in Anaheim, pitching to a 4.78 ERA across five seasons before being traded.
Can Márquez find his pre-2023 form?
If so, the Padres have themselves a very interesting rotation piece. There’s no getting around Márquez’s struggles in 2025. But he’ll be pitching in a much more pitcher-friendly environment in San Diego, now two years removed from his surgery.
The Padres are intimately familiar with Márquez, having spent 10 seasons with him in their division. His 11 wins against San Diego are easily his most against any club.
Prior to his surgery, Márquez was one of the most durable pitchers in baseball, making essentially a full slate of starts in every season from 2017-22. He was an All-Star in ‘21 and owns a 4.67 ERA across those 10 seasons with the Rockies (pitching home games in the notoriously hitter-friendly Coors Field).
At his best, Márquez boasts an excellent slider and has a knack for missing barrels and keeping opposing hitters on the ground. That’s the version pitching coach Ruben Niebla will be looking to rekindle.
The state of the rotation
Nick Pivetta, Michael King and Joe Musgrove comprise the front three of the Padres’ rotation, with competition for the two remaining places. Márquez, Randy Vásquez, Marco Gonzales, Triston McKenzie, JP Sears and Matt Waldron are vying for those spots.
When healthy, Canning should join that competition. He could miss the start of the 2026 season as he continues his recovery from the Achilles tear. But that might fit the Padres’ timeline perfectly.
There are injury concerns surrounding Musgrove and King. Musgrove missed last season while rehabbing from Tommy John surgery, and King made only 15 starts as he dealt with a nerve issue and knee injury in 2025.
Perhaps Canning misses the start of the season. But his arrival might come when the Padres need it, if they’re dealing with any injury concerns or if those back-end candidates fail to prove themselves.
What’s next for SD?
Two days ago, general manager A.J. Preller met with reporters and spoke about his desire to add more starting pitching and one more bat.
Check and check.
Canning and Márquez round out the rotation mix and the Castellanos signing gives the Padres the bat they needed (in addition to Miguel Andujar, who signed earlier in the week). There aren’t any obvious holes on the San Diego roster -- and there’s probably not much flexibility financially either.
So ... are these your 2026 Padres?
With Preller running the show, it’s always risky to declare an offseason over. He’s made big swings late in Spring Training in the past. But, this year at least, that wouldn’t be out of necessity. The Padres have a fairly complete roster after Saturday’s moves.