Padres Predicted to Land Cy Young Winner in Blockbuster Trade Deadline Swing

The San Diego Padres entered the 2026 season with all sorts of questions around the starting rotation.

San Diego has been able to win games behind a top-heavy rotation, but this current plan isn't a strong recipe for success over the course of an entire season.

The team is still without right-hander Joe Musgrove as he recovers from a setback he suffered while recovering from Tommy John surgery this spring. San Diego also lost righty Nick Pivetta to an elbow injury, and both pitchers have no timeline to return.

Late last month, the Padres went out and signed veteran Lucas Giolito, and he should provide the unit with some much-needed depth. The Padres also just got Griffin Canning back from injury, and he looked sharp in his debut.

However, in order for this group to best set themselves up for success in 2026, the Padres will likely need to add a starting pitcher at the trade deadline — and Kerry Miller of Bleacher Report predicted that the Padres will do that just, landing former Cy Young award winner Sandy Alcantara in a blockbuster move.

Would Sandy Alcantara Make Sense For Padres?

With the Padres' goal to win a World Series this season, adding someone like Alcantara would be crucial.

Starting pitching wins in October — as the rival Los Angeles Dodgers showed last year — and the Padres could use another reliable arm in the rotation.

If the Padres were to make the playoffs — and be fully healthy — they could roll out a rotation of Michael King, Randy Vásquez, Alcantara and Pivetta or Musgrove, with Giolito and Canning as potential depth. This would give the Padres as good a rotation as any in MLB, turning the perceived weakness of the roster into a real strength.

Alcantara came back from his own Tommy John surgery last season, and overall, he was pretty rusty, posting an ERA of 5.36 over 174.2 innings. But his second-half numbers were excellent, putting up an ERA of 3.33.

Alcantara began the 2026 season looking just like his dominant self, pitching 24 consecutive scoreless innings with a complete game shutout. However, he's struggled as of late, seeing his ERA balloon to 4.01 with 36 strikeouts to 18 walks over 51.2 innings.

Miami will be asking for a lot to move Alcantara this summer — if they decide to make such a move — but the Padres' front office has never been shy to go all-in. San Diego's president of baseball operations, A.J. Preller, is known for being aggressive, and adding a former Cy Young award winner in Alcantara would likely be the biggest move he could make.

Alcantara wouldn't be a rental, as he's also under contract for next season, holding a club option at $21 million. That would raise his price, but also give the Padres a potential rotation piece for 2026 when both Pivetta and King could hit free agency.

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