Padres exercise options on Yuki Matsui and Wandy Peralta; Kyle Hart’s club option picked up for 2027

By Vancouver Television Sports Desk

SAN DIEGO — The San Diego Padres made a flurry of bullpen and roster decisions on Sunday that, in total, set their 2027 pitching options and cleared multiple paths to free agency. The club exercised player options for left-handers Yuki Matsui and Wandy Peralta for the 2027 season, and it picked up Kyle Hart’s club option, keeping three left-handed arms in the back end of the roster as the team reshapes other parts of its pitching group.

Padres officials also announced they declined Nick Pivetta’s club option, a move that puts him on track for free agency. The team likewise declined mutual options on Griffin Canning and Lucas Giolito. In addition, Miguel Andujar declined his option for 2027, also making him a free agent. With those decisions, the Padres’ offseason focus immediately expands beyond their bullpen as they plan for rotation and bench needs.

Matsui, who will remain under club control, opted into a $6.5 million deal for 2027. The left-hander will have an additional player option for the 2028 season worth $7 million. The Padres’ decision to retain Matsui provides a key continuity piece in a bullpen that already counts on Mason Miller at the high-leverage end of games, while also reinforcing San Diego’s left-handed coverage.

The team’s confidence in Matsui is backed by his most recent performance as a Padre. In the 2026 regular season, Matsui posted a 1.83 ERA across 54 outings, and he allowed one unearned run in five postseason appearances. That production helped establish him as one of the more important left-handed options available to the Padres in high-leverage moments.

Wandy Peralta returns as another left-handed bullpen piece. The Padres exercised his player option, and Peralta finished the 2026 season with a 3.61 ERA across 65 appearances. Kyle Hart, meanwhile, will also remain with the organization after San Diego picked up his $2.5 million club option. Hart appeared in 46 games in 2026 and posted a 4.92 ERA, with the source noting he was solid down the stretch and used in multiple roles.

The bullpen decisions come with a specific set of questions for San Diego’s setup and late-inning depth. The club has Adrian Morejon slated for free agency, and the source notes that the Padres also have Jason Adam set to hit the market. The Padres, however, still have a deadline to potentially retain Morejon via a qualifying offer structure: the team has until Monday’s 2 p.m. PT deadline to extend Morejon a qualifying offer.

While the Mets and other teams in MLB are irrelevant here, the Padres’ internal roster math makes the left-handed bullpen retention especially consequential. If Morejon departs, the Matsui, Peralta and Hart group provides the Padres with multiple left-handed innings options, even as San Diego anticipates having to replenish parts of its pitching staff overall.

On the rotation side, the Padres’ decisions on Canning and Giolito reinforce how quickly the organization is moving to address needs in starting pitching. The Padres declined Giolito’s $3 million option and Canning’s $2.5 million option. The source characterizes both right-handers as struggling in the 2026 season, and it adds that Giolito missed nearly the entire second half with a right elbow injury.

The Pivetta decision extends that same theme of rotation churn. With Pivetta also set for free agency, San Diego’s path to 2027 includes at least several new starters, alongside a reevaluation of the existing rotation core. According to the source, the only returning starter from the Padres’ 2026 rotation is Randy Vásquez.

The club’s near-term questions also include the status and fit of other rotation candidates. The source reports that Joe Musgrove’s role is uncertain after his return from Tommy John surgery in the postseason, while JP Sears could also receive an opportunity. In addition, the Padres are facing major off-contract changes elsewhere, including Michael King and Walker Buehler, both of whom are noted as hitting free agency.

Because the Padres’ offseason roster construction is tied to both free agency and trade possibilities, general manager A.J. Preller framed pitching staff turnover as part of the organization’s annual process. Preller said, “Every year we talk about it: You’ve got to be willing to revamp your pitching staff,” adding, “This offseason will be no different. We’ll have some opportunity, I think, this offseason to build a staff that we think is a championship staff through free agency, trades and continuing to develop.”

On the offensive side, Andujar’s decision to decline his mutual option leaves another opening on the roster. The source reports that Andujar hit .259/.303/.423 across 74 games with the Padres in 2026 before declining his portion of a $4 million mutual option for 2027. With Austin Hays also set to depart in free agency, San Diego may look for a right-handed bench bat in addition to its pitching upgrades.

The Padres’ internal roster considerations include whether to carry three catchers, which the source says would make Luis Campusano an option for a bench role. Still, it notes that, beyond that possibility, the bench could remain thin heading into the offseason. With Ty France becoming a free agent, San Diego also faces a first-base need as it maps out its 2027 roster composition amid multiple pitching departures and free-agent openings.

For now, the most immediate certainty is that Matsui, Peralta and Hart will be in San Diego’s plans for 2027 bullpen roles, with the next big decision point arriving Monday at 2 p.m. PT regarding whether the team will extend a qualifying offer to Adrian Morejon. Beyond that deadline, the Padres will have significant roster work to complete across both the rotation and position-player depth as they prepare for a winter of major player-market movement.