Orioles could be a lifeline for Padres after their latest free agency whiff

When the Baltimore Orioles signed Pete Alonso they blocked any path that Coby Mayo had at playing first base for them in the next five years. Ever since the signing was announced, it has been widely expected that the Orioles would move Mayo at some point this offseason and yet spring training is around the corner and he remains on the roster. However, that might be about to change.

After the Yankees signed Paul Goldschmidt, it was reported that the Padres were also interested in the veteran first baseman. For the past few years, the Padres have been uber aggressive. They've signed multiple free agents to massive contracts and traded large packages of prospects in exchange for superstar players. Because of that, they are a good team but their roster is old, their payroll is high and their farm system is thin. When it comes to filling a position of need, like they currently have at first base, they need to find someone affordable both from a financial and trade compensation perspective.

Coby Mayo would be a great fit for the Padres if they are willing to meet the Orioles asking price

That is what makes Coby Mayo such a good fit for them. At 24 years old, he'd be the second youngest player on their roster. Unlike most of the players on the Padres, Mayo is still improving and aging teams need young players just to help get through the season. With all the trades they've made, they don't have hardly anyone in their early-mid twenties on the team. As far as money is concerned next season, Mayo's salary will be less than a million dollars. No amount of ownership turmoil could make Mayo's contract an albatross.

The only hold up is the trade compensation. The Orioles are likely hoping to get something in return for Mayo that reflects his former top prospect status and the potential he showed in the last few weeks of the season once they started giving him regular playing time. They don't want to sell low on a player that they developed from a 4th round pick out of high school into a consensus top prospect. The Padres, on the other hand, would want to pay a price that reflects how Mayo has struggled to catch on in the big leagues.

The two sides could find common ground over a player that the Padres have already been rumored to be looking to move this offseason in Nick Pivetta. Pivetta has been in trade talks not because the Padres don't need pitching, but because he has value on his current contract so the Padres could get something in return for him and then look to use the 20 million dollars he's owed to bring in more pitching.

There are still multiple pitchers on the market that would be a significant upgrade for the Padres. Last year, they signed Pivetta to his current backloaded contract late in the offseason despite him having a qualifying offer attached. If they were to move Pivetta they could do the same thing with Gallen. Keeping the level of talent similar while pushing the costs down.

For the Orioles, Pivetta would be an instant upgrade to their rotation and if he were to repeat his 2025 effort could end up being the ace of their staff. Mayo has 5 more years of service time and Pivetta could be a free agent after this season so it may not be as simple as a one-for one trade. It could be Pivetta plus a prospect for Mayo or it could Mayo and a depth pitcher with control like Povich with the Padres adding in a reliever who they've also been dangling in trades like Jeremiah Estrada.

If the both teams can make this work they have the opportunity to help each other strengthen their weaknesses and position themselves better to contend in 2026.