Right-hander Ryan Weiss signed a Major League deal with the San Diego Padres on Tuesday, marking the club’s first major league free agent agreement of the offseason as general manager A.J. Preller attempts to rebuild a depleted rotation from scratch.
Weiss, 29, joins the Padres on a one-year contract that includes a team option for the 2028 season, according to Jesse Rogers of ESPN. The right-hander reached free agency after the Houston Astros declined a $5MM club option in favor of a $500K buyout.
Last season, Weiss made his major league debut on March 27, going 0-3 with a 7.62 ERA across nine outings and two starts for Houston. He struck out 30 batters in 26 innings but struggled with control, walking more than 15% of the batters he faced before being optioned to Triple-A Sugar Land on May 5 and later outrighted.
The Padres are intimately familiar with scouring alternative markets for pitching depth. Before his stint in Houston, Weiss spent the 2024 and 2025 seasons pitching for the Hanwha Eagles in the Korea Baseball Organization and also spent time with the Fubon Guardians in Taiwan, logging a 3.16 ERA across 46 starts abroad.
San Diego’s front office took notice of how Weiss finished his minor league campaign with Triple-A Sugar Land. He posted a 1.37 ERA across his final four appearances, racking up 24 strikeouts in 19 2/3 innings.
Preller addressed reporters on Day 1 of the General Managers Meetings in Las Vegas, where he was asked how many starting pitchers the team needs to acquire this winter. His response was succinct.
The Padres are signing righty Ryan Weiss to a one year major league deal with an option for 2028, sources tell ESPN. Weiss pitched last year for Houston. Had interest around the league and a chance to return to the KBO where he pitched in 2025 but got a deal done with the Pads.
“Keep going,” Preller quipped.
The Padres face an enormous roster overhaul after losing seven starting pitchers from last year to free agency, including Michael King, Nick Pivetta, and Walker Buehler. Randy Vásquez stands as the team’s only returning pitcher who started more than six games last year, while the health and roles of Joe Musgrove and Yu Darvish remain uncertain.
Because Weiss still has a minor league option remaining, the Padres can bounce him between San Diego and Triple-A El Paso without exposing him to waivers. That roster flexibility made him an attractive, low-risk depth addition for a franchise that had eight vacancies on its 40-man roster.
Weiss features a fastball that sits in the mid-90s, pairing a four-seam fastball averaging 95 mph and a sinker at 93 mph with a sweeper, changeup, and occasional curveball. Before signing his major league deal with San Diego, Weiss drew renewed interest from KBO clubs overseas.
“You can never have too much, from a starting pitching standpoint,” Preller said. “We’re going to need multiples. You always need a lot of pitching.”
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