3 free agents the Padres can sign to get revenge on the Dodgers—and win the 2025 World Series

The San Diego Padres had an incredibly successful season, but when a team is investing in winning as aggressively as the Padres are right now, anything less than a World Series is a bit of a letdown.

The Padres have done everything they can to beat their division rivals, the Los Angeles Dodgers. But the Padres have come up short time and time again, this time, losing to the Dodgers in five games in the NLDS.

San Diego had to watch the Dodgers celebrate an NLCS berth while the Padres were left crushed after watching their season end. It's the kind of heartbreak that can't really be put into words.

Now the Padres have five months to build a better team that can come back in 2025 and get revenge on the Dodgers en route to a World Series victory. These are the free agents that could lift the Padres to that goal.

For more news and rumors, check out MLB Insider Robert Murray’s work on The Baseball Insiders podcast, subscribe to The Moonshot, our weekly MLB newsletter, and join the discord to get the inside scoop between now and the MLB offseason.

3. Re-signing LHP Tanner Scott would solidify the 2025 bullpen

The Padres were big time buyers at the trade deadline this season with their huge acquisition being the top bullpen arm, Tanner Scott. San Diego sent multiple top 10 prospects to acquire him with a lot of people around baseball looking at it as an incredible overpay for the Padres. But, in a rental deal like this, there are a few factors that come into play.

If the Padres don't win the World Series and Scott leaves in free agency, then it was likely an overpay. But if the Padres are able to go win the World Series with Scott or re-sign him in free agency, the price seems a lot more modest for such a talented closer.

The idea of re-signing a midseason trade acquisition is quite common in baseball. It's the plan that the Padres should have had in mind when they made the deal for Scott. Scott has been great while in San Diego, pitching to a 2.73 ERA, 2.33 FIP and a K/9 rate well over 10. He's been excellent while in San Diego and he created quite the backend bullpen duo with closer Robert Suarez.

Scott could be too expensive for the Padres to pursue in re-signing though. He's likely looking for a decent sized contract, but if the two sides can make the money work, it would be a big win for the team.

2. Stealing RHP Jack Flaherty from the Dodgers would be a perfect move

The one place on the team where you can never have too much depth is in the starting pitching rotation. The Padres will likely need to add one or two starting arms this offseason. They have a solid pitching rotation already, led by Michael King and Dylan Cease. But they could use another arm or two.

Spoiler alert: The number one player on this list is also a pitcher. The Padres should target him over Jack Flaherty. If they can land the top name on this list, they wouldn't really need Flaherty, but Flaherty should be seen as their top backup option.

Adding Jack Flaherty while stealing him away from the Los Angeles Dodgers would be quite a poetic offseason move for the Padres. They're both making their starting rotation even better while making the Dodgers' rotation worse. It's the perfect move to make.

Flaherty has looked like an ace at times, but he would slot in perfectly as the third pitcher in the Padres rotation. More often than not, he's incredibly competitive and he provides constant stability in the rotation.

1. Bringing LHP Blake Snell back would be San Diego's dream

The top talent that the Padres should pursue, if Juan Soto is considered off the table, is another player that they should have never let go, Blake Snell. The Padres should have offered Snell the massive contract extension that he was looking for last offseason rather than letting him land with the Giants and up his value a bit.

Snell is coming off one of the stronger second halves in recent memory for a pitcher. He proved in this second half that his Cy Young in 2023 was far from a fluke. He proved in 2024 that he could take over a baseball game year in and year out.

The Padres have a few ace caliber pitchers, but Snell is one of the top talents in the entire league. He is the kind of pitcher than can be put up against any of the top arms in the league and be seen as competitive in the matchup.

Snell was incredible with San Diego and the Padres have the money that it would take to bring him back. If they want to compete with the super teams around the league next year, adding their former ace would be the best place to start their pursuit of a 2025 World Series championship.