Padres to sign former Rockies starter coming off rough 6.70 ERA season in 10th MLB season

While the San Diego Padres haven't been the most active team this offseason, they have been very active on Valentines day. They made two moves in the morning, and now a third later in the day.

They began their Valentines day by agreeing to deals with Griffin Canning and Nick Castellanos, two veterans who've spent time in the NL East and with multiple teams.

But their third addition is an NL West starter who's spent his entire 10-year career with the Colorado Rockies. According to Alden Gonzalez of ESPN, the Padres are in agreement on a one-year contract with German Marquez.

Padres are in agreement with German Marquez on a one-year deal

"Source: SP German Marquez and the Padres are in agreement on a 1-year deal," Gonzalez reports.

This one-year deal for the Padres and Marquez gives San Diego another option for their starting rotation in 2026.

After Michael King is Nick Pivetta, Joe Musgrove, Randy Vasquez, and JP Sears. But, adding Canning and now Merquez to their rotation options, along with Muguel Mendez, Kyle Hart, and Matt Waldron, the Padres rotation has a lot of options.

Marquez is a 10-year MLB veteran, spending all his time in Colorado. He's put up a career ERA of 4.67, which, thanks to the Coors Field impact, translates to a 105 ERA+.

More: Former Yankees, Reds, A's outfielder agrees to $4M deal with Padres

He's a solid pitcher, but after a rough 2025 with a 6.70 ERA after a year off due to needing Tommy John surgery, Marquez is looking to bounce back in a pitcher-friendly park.

Pitchers struggle in Colorado due to the elevation, so Marquez, going to the Padres and their far lower elevation, should help the veteran righty put up better numbers in 2026.

The 30-year-old is a former All-Star who was also one of the last pitchers to win a Silver Slugger award, as he won in 2018 after hitting .300 as a pitcher with a .650 OPS in 65 at-bats. He had 18 hits, one home run, and five RBIs that season.

While he's not going to hit for the Padres, he will be a contributor as a pitcher in their rotation. He should factor into the rotation early in the season, as he's looking to return to his All-Star form, which shouldn't be that out of reach.

More MLB news:

• Red Sox sign $6 million free agent formerly of Yankees, Blue Jays
• MLB Hot Stove tracker: Live updates on news, rumors, signings and trades for 2025 free agency
• Tigers' contract details for Framber Valdez make for absurd record-breaking deal
• MLB analyst makes the case for the Phillies to sign 2x All-Star arm
• Pirates to sign former Padres, White Sox 3.55 ERA veteran righty on one-year deal
• Mets trade rumor on Brett Baty, Mark Vientos is unexpected update from Pirates
• Yankees to claim 23-year-old power-hitter off waivers from Rockies