Padres, Germán Márquez Agree To One-Year Contract
The San Diego Padres have reached agreement with right-hander Germán Márquez on a one-year contract, the club announced on February 14, 2026 at 4: 07pm ET. Terms of the deal have not been disclosed. The signing gives the Padres veteran depth behind their projected rotation while presenting Márquez with a fresh opportunity to rebound after recent struggles and injury setbacks.
Deal details and roster implications
Specific financial terms were not released. The club currently carries a full 40-man roster and will need to make a corresponding move to create space for Márquez. This signing follows a pattern of short-term, low-cost acquisitions that the front office prioritized this offseason as it sought to supplement the rotation and add a complementary bat.
Role in the pitching staff
Márquez is expected to slot in as back-of-the-rotation depth, a low-risk addition who can start when healthy or lengthen the staff in favorable matchups. The team also signed another right-hander on a short-term deal to address depth, with one of the two likely functioning as a spot starter or bulk-inning option as the season progresses.
What Márquez brings to the table
When healthy and in form, Márquez offers a combination of solid command and ground-ball tendencies that can be attractive in pitcher-friendly environments. From 2017–2021 he compiled the bulk of his value, tossing 793 2/3 innings over 135 starts with a 4. 25 ERA, a 24. 0% strikeout rate and a 6. 9% walk rate. He also generated unusually high groundball rates for a high-leverage starter, including a career-high groundball rate above 50% in 2021.
Recent performance and health questions
The 30-year-old (he turns 31 later this month) arrives after a challenging stretch that included injuries and a difficult return from arm surgery. Once one of his former club’s most reliable starters, Márquez has battled to re-establish consistency over the last couple seasons. The one-year nature of the deal reflects both sides’ interest in a short-term reunion: the club gains experienced depth while Márquez gets a chance to rebuild value in a new setting.
Outlook for 2026 and beyond
For the Padres, the signing is a pragmatic, low-cost move aimed at improving depth without sacrificing payroll flexibility. If Márquez can recapture even a portion of his pre-injury form, he could be a useful mid-rotation or swing starter. If not, the financial exposure is limited and the club retains roster flexibility to pivot as needed during the season.
For Márquez, San Diego offers a fresh start and a pitching staff that could use his ground-ball profile and veteran experience. The upcoming spring will be telling: health, command and the ability to eat innings will determine whether this one-year pact proves to be a savvy reclamation move or a short-term depth piece.
