Padres roster review: Wandy Peralta – San Diego Union-Tribune
WANDY PERALTA
Position(s): Left-handed pitcher
Bats / Throws: Left / Left
2026 opening day age: 34
Height / Weight: 6-foot / 227 pounds
How acquired: Signed as a free agent in February 2024
Contract status: Will make $4.45 million in 2026 after exercising a player option; has a $4.45 million player option for 2027.
fWAR in 2025: 0.5
Key 2025 stats: 6-1, 3.14 ERA, 0 saves, 4 holds, 63 strikeouts, 30 walks, 1.34 WHIP, .238 opponent average, 71⅔ innings (71 games, 1 start)
STAT TO NOTE
59.6 — Peralta’s groundball rate in 2025, ranking in the 97th percentile, more than 6 points ahead of last year’s rate and a career-high. The extreme groundball rate teamed with an average exit velocity (87.6 mph) that ranked in the 87th percentile to pave the way for a better second season in San Diego.
TRENDING
Up — Acquired to serve as a set-up man in 2024, Peralta finished that year in the shadow of the likes of Robert Suarez, Jason Adam and Tanner Scott and remained in middle relief to start 2025 even before the team acquired Mason Miller to fortify the bullpen. Peralta still found himself in more high-leverage situations than he did a year ago (23, up from 15) largely because he was healthy from start to finish and more on top of his game than he was in his first year in San Diego (see stat to note). In fact, Peralta’s strikeout rate jumped from 5.2 per nine innings to 7.9, his homer rate dropped from 1.4 per nine innings to 0.6 and his FIP dropped from 5.46 to 3.62. Peralta did walk more batters in 2025 (3.8 per nine innings, up from 3.1), but that was more survivable because he kept the ball on the ground at a largely middling exit velocities (again, see stat to note). Peralta was even better against lefties in 2025 (opposing OPS dropped from .762 to .725), although nitpickers would be right to point out that he has a long ways to go to live up to what he did against lefties in 2023 (.483 OPS) and 2022 (.422 OPS). All told, Peralta finished the year with a career-high 71 appearances — including one spot start as an opener at Dodger Stadium — and on the postseason roster for the NL Wild Card Series, where he struck out a batter over 1⅓ scoreless innings across two appearances at Wrigley Field.
2026 OUTLOOK
While the ship may have sailed on Peralta’s opportunity to work at the back of games, he remains firmly entrenched in a middle-relief role heading into his third year in San Diego. Miller, Adam (when healthy), Adrián Morejón and Jeremiah Estrada figure to be the go-to arms in late-and-close games, with Peralta, LHP Yuki Matsui and the up-and-coming David Morgan likely figuring into those situations as rest dictates off-days for the group.
Wandy Peralta smiles as he tosses a ball back during Padres spring training workouts at the Peoria Sports Complex on Wednesday, Feb. 12, 2025 in Peoria, Ariz.. (Meg McLaughlin / The San Diego Union-Tribune)
ROSTER RANKINGS
21. LHP Wandy Peralta
22. C Luis Campusano
23. LHP Yuki Matsui
24. INF Sung-Mun Song
25. RHP Matt Waldron
26. OF Bryce Johnson
27. RHP Ron Marinaccio
28. RHP Bryan Hoeing
29. LHP Kyle Hart
30. RHP Jhony Brito
31. INF Will Wagner
32. OF Tirso Ornelas
33. RHP Garrett Hawkins
34. RHP Miguel Mendez
35. RHP Daison Acosta
36. RHP Ty Adcock
37. RHP Alek Jacob
38. INF Mason McCoy
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