The San Diego Padres are making a few moves as spring training games get ready to start in Major League Baseball. San Diego is signing former New York Mets pitcher Griffin Canning, per Major League Baseball insider Robert Murray.
Canning started 16 games during the 2025 season for New York. He finished the season with a 3.77 ERA. Canning also previously worked for the Los Angeles Angels, during his MLB career.
The pitcher has 32 career regular season victories. He has a lifetime ERA of 4.65, with 110 career starts.
San Diego has been busy lately. The Padres also signed slugger Nick Castellanos Saturday, after he was released recently by the Philadelphia Phillies.
The Padres are working on their rotation this offseason
San Diego re-signed hurler Michael King this offseason, helping to keep a key piece of their rotation. The Padres did lose Dylan Cease though, who signed a deal with the Toronto Blue Jays.
The addition of Canning will help offset the loss of Cease. San Diego had an outstanding rotation in 2025, which helped the team win 90 regular season games. The Padres made the MLB Playoffs, before losing in a National League Wild Card series to the Chicago Cubs.
King is considered a lock in the Padres rotation for 2026, along with Joe Musgrove and Nick Pivetta.
“Obviously [the rotation] is headlined with Joe, Nick and Michael,” Padres manager Craig Stammen said, per MLB.com. “We feel good about those three — and then there’s competition.”
There are now several pitchers battling it out for the other spots in the Padres rotation. With Canning, San Diego adds another veteran hurler. Another likely rotation spot is going to Randy Vasquez.
“He’s probably got the inside track to one of those last two spots,” Stammen said about Vasquez. “He pitched great for us last year, especially how he ended the season.”
The team has some other candidates fighting for a spot on the staff. Matt Waldron, Marco Gonzales and JP Sears are potential candidates. Time will tell how San Diego fills out the Opening Day staff.
The Padres start spring training games on February 20 against the Seattle Mariners.
