The San Diego Padres are fresh off another playoff run in the National League. They have become renowned for their “all-in” approach every year and 2025 was no exception. A busy trade deadline sparked a surge in the second half.
Ultimately, they finished three games behind the Dodgers for the division title and bowed out in the Wild Card Series round to the Chicago Cubs.
San Diego enters 2026 with top-tier talent. Fernando Tatis, Jr. has MVP potential. Jackson Merrill does, too. Manny Machado remains an All-Star bat in the middle of the lineup. This is a dangerous team who will once again need to scrap their way through the NL West.
Check out the 2026 San Diego Padres TV schedule to see if this is the year they claim their first World Series.
San Diego Padres Team Info:
Division: National League West
Home Ballpark: Petco Park
World Series Titles: 0
2025 Finish: Lost in NL Wild card round to the Cubs (2-1)
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How Did the San Diego Padres do in 2025?
The Padres made a very strong push for the division title toward the end of the year, but ultimately could not usurp the Dodgers, finishing three games back.
The Padres made a couple of key moves at the deadline, acquiring Ryan O’Hearn, Ramon Laureano and Mason Miller. But ultimately, they were not enough to get the Padres into World Series contention.
The Padres finished second in the NL West in 2025, claiming a playoff spot but falling in the NL Wild Card series to the Cubs 2-1. Overall, it was a solid year.
The Padres were led by Fernando Tatis Jr., who led the team in wins above replacement and finished with 25 home runs and 32 stolen bases. After an injury-shortened season in 2024, Tatis bounced back in a major way.
Manny Machado continued to hold it down at third base with a 27 homer and 95 RBI season.
Jackson Merrill was limited to just 115 games on the season, but showed how good he can be with an excellent playoff series.
For the Padres, 2025 was a success by most metrics, but falling yet again to the Dodgers and failing to make it over the hump into the World Series will make it difficult to claim moral victories.
San Diego Padres Schedule
The Padres start at home against the Detroit Tigers, who are themselves coming off a second-place finish in their own division. The Padres will then host their division rival, the San Francisco Giants before facing the Rockies, the Dodgers and the Diamondbacks for a full division round robin by the end of April.
2026 San Diego Padres Game Schedule
| Date | Opponent | Time (ET) |
| Thu, 3/26 | vs Detroit Tigers | 4:10 p.m. |
| Fri, 3/27 | vs Detroit Tigers | 9:40 p.m. |
| Sat, 3/28 | vs Detroit Tigers | 8:40 p.m. |
| Mon, 3/30 | vs San Francisco Giants | 9:40 p.m. |
| Tue, 3/31 | vs San Francisco Giants | 9:40 p.m. |
| Wed, 4/1 | vs San Francisco Giants | 4:10 p.m. |
| Fri, 4/3 | @ Boston Red Sox | 2:10 p.m. |
| Sat, 4/4 | @ Boston Red Sox | 4:10 p.m. |
| Sun, 4/5 | @ Boston Red Sox | 1:35 p.m. |
| Mon, 4/6 | @ Pittsburgh Pirates | 6:40 p.m. |
| Tue, 4/7 | @ Pittsburgh Pirates | 6:40 p.m. |
| Wed, 4/8 | @ Pittsburgh Pirates | 12:35 p.m. |
| Thu, 4/9 | vs Colorado Rockies | 9:40 p.m. |
| Fri, 4/10 | vs Colorado Rockies | 9:40 p.m. |
| Sat, 4/11 | vs Colorado Rockies | 8:40 p.m. |
| Sun, 4/12 | vs Colorado Rockies | 4:10 p.m. |
| Tue, 4/14 | vs Seattle Mariners | 9:40 p.m. |
| Wed, 4/15 | vs Seattle Mariners | 9:40 p.m. |
| Thu, 4/16 | vs Seattle Mariners | 8:40 p.m. |
| Fri, 4/17 | @ Los Angeles Angels | 9:38 p.m. |
| Sat, 4/18 | @ Los Angeles Angels | 9:38 p.m. |
| Sun, 4/19 | @ Los Angeles Angels | 4:07 p.m. |
| Tue, 4/21 | @ Colorado Rockies | 8:40 p.m. |
| Wed, 4/22 | @ Colorado Rockies | 8:40 p.m. |
| Thu, 4/23 | @ Colorado Rockies | 3:10 p.m. |
| Sat, 4/25 | vs Arizona Diamondbacks | 6:05 p.m. |
| Sun, 4/26 | vs Arizona Diamondbacks | 4:05 p.m. |
| Mon, 4/27 | vs Chicago Cubs | 9:40 p.m. |
| Tue, 4/28 | vs Chicago Cubs | 9:40 p.m. |
| Wed, 4/29 | vs Chicago Cubs | 4:10 p.m. |
Padres not playing today? Find another matchup on the full MLB schedule, which includes, MLB players, MLB teams and MLB standings to keep your head in the game.
How to Watch the San Diego Padres
If you can’t make it out to the ballpark, there are plenty of ways to catch every game on the Padres schedule on DIRECTV. Below are a few channels where you can watch games, so you’re never left wondering “What channel is the Padres game on?”
- MLB San Diego Padres (learn more below)– DIRECTV Channel 694
- MLB Network® – DIRECTV Channel 213
- ESPN – DIRECTV Channel 206
- FOX – Find your local FOX channel
- FOX Sports 1 – DIRECTV Channel 219
- ABC – Find your local ABC channel
- TBS – DIRECTV Channel 247
San Diego Padres fans will continue to receive live, high-definition coverage of 2026 Padres games on DIRECTV (Ch. 694-3) and U-verse (HD Ch. 1781/ SD Ch. 781), thanks to a renewal agreement between sports leader DIRECTV, MLB and the team.
DIRECTV will provide each game, along with MLB-produced pregame and postgame analysis, to fans living in the same Padres home territory as before. This includes southern California, southern Nevada, southern Arizona, portions of New Mexico and Hawaii. While San Diego is central to the Padres fan base, this territory also includes cities like Las Vegas, Tucson and Honolulu, where many other Padres fans live.
MLB, the Padres, and DIRECTV originally introduced this new team-based channel near the start of the 2023 season. DIRECTV For BUSINESS, the industry leader in live sports delivery to businesses, will continue to provide the same live Padres action to hundreds of regional sports bars, restaurants, hotels and other venues.
MyHome Team™ from DIRECTV
Padres fans who stream their sports satellite-free can also catch this season’s action with MyHome Team™, a new companion piece to the industry-first MySports™ Genre Pack™. This new MyHome Team local sports add-on, available exclusively to MySports customers, enables San Diego fans a new option to integrate their favorite local MLB, NBA or NHL games into their DIRECTV experience seamlessly and at enhanced value.
MyHome Team currently draws from a rapidly expanding portfolio of 22 regional sports networks or team-specific channels to offer fans access to local games from any of the respective 18 MLB, 16 NBA, or 10 NHL teams whose league-mandated “home” territory overlaps with their location. In addition, MyHome Team provides news and commentary from other teams outside their territory.
MyHome Team is available for $19.99/month as an add-on for MySports customers in select metro regions, with more coming soon. Consumers can enter their zip code in the DIRECTV lookup tool to find the individual teams available in their area through MyHome Team, but as the new MLB season begins, the Arizona Diamondbacks, Atlanta Braves, Chicago Cubs and White Sox, Cincinnati Reds, Colorado Rockies, Detroit Tigers, Kansas City Royals, Los Angeles Dodgers and Angels, Milwaukee Brewers, San Diego Padres, St. Louis Cardinals, Tampa Bay Rays and Texas Rangers are already all available.
Top Padres Players to Watch in 2026
The Padres are loaded with talent with multiple MVP caliber players in the outfield and depth around the diamond. Here are the players that will play a major role in their quest for the franchise’s first World Series title.
Fernando Tatis Jr.
Fernando Tatis Jr. is coming off a second straight All-Star campaign and his first full season since 2023. Tatis set a career high in walks and won his second Gold Glove in three years. The six-year veteran continues to make strides and is the linchpin of this lineup.
Manny Machado
At 33, Manny Machado continues to provide power from the hot corner. Machado finished with 27 home runs and 33 doubles a year ago.
Jackson Merrill
The 22-year-old center fielder is bursting with promise. In three games in last year’s Wild Card series, it was easy to see why, as he batted .333 with two doubles, two RBIs and a home run.
Ramon Laureano
One of the sneaky additions to the Padres squad last year was Ramon Laureano, who was having his best season since 2019. After the break with the Padres, he hit 9 home runs after the deadline. He, Tatis and Merrill will form a Gold Glove caliber outfield across the board.
Nick Pivetta
Nick Pivetta will once again be the ace of this pitching staff. He’s coming off a 13-win season with a 2.87 ERA. San Diego is relying on him to once again be an innings eater and lead this rotation, especially with the departure of Dylan Cease.
Mason Miller
The Padres also acquired high-end closer Mason Miller at the trade deadline, who will headline a formidable bullpen.
Top Prospects to Monitor
San Diego has traded away much of its prospects in high-end trades over the last few years. But the 6’8″ left-handed Cruz Schoolcraft, who finished last year at Single-A Lake Elsinore Storm, sits at number 88 in the MLB top 100.
At just 18 years old, it would be surprising to see him sometime soon, but if the Padres struggle to stay healthy pitching-wise, the 25th overall pick in the 2025 draft could potentially be called on sooner than they’d like.
San Diego Padres Rivalries
The Padres once again face an uphill battle to win the NL West. Whether they make the playoffs and how well they’ll fare will be determined by how they do against their major rivals.
The Dodgers remain their chief adversary in the NL West, but they’re not the only playoff team from a year ago that San Diego will need to test their mettle against.
The Vedder Cup: San Diego Padres vs. Seattle Mariners
The Padres and Seattle Mariners have carved out a unique rivalry thanks to Pearl Jam lead singer, Eddie Vedder. The front man and baseball lived in both cities.
Catch the Vedder Cup on:
4/14 at 9:40 p.m. – Seattle Mariners at San Diego Mariners
4/15 at 9:40 p.m. – Seattle Mariners at San Diego Mariners
4/16 at 8:40 p.m. – Seattle Mariners at San Diego Mariners
5/15 at 9:40 p.m. – San Diego Padres at Seattle Mariners
5/16 at 7:15 p.m. – San Diego Padres at Seattle Mariners
5/17 at 7:20 p.m. – San Diego Padres at Seattle Mariners
The I-5 Series: San Diego Padres vs. Los Angeles Dodgers
The rivalry that is circled on the Padres calendar every year is the I-5 series with the Dodgers.
The Padres lost the season series 9-4 last year against LA, but in the 13 games, the run differential was seven. If three games swing the other way, they tie LA for the division. These two teams battle.
Their season series once again has a great chance to determine the NL West.
You can watch the I-5 Series on:
5/18 at 9:40 p.m. – Los Angeles Dodgers at San Diego Padres
5/19 at 9:40 p.m. – Los Angeles Dodgers at San Diego Padres
5/20 at 8:40 p.m. – Los Angeles Dodgers at San Diego Padres
6/26 at 9:40 p.m. – Los Angeles Dodgers at San Diego Padres
6/27 at 8:40 p.m. – Los Angeles Dodgers at San Diego Padres
6/28 at 4:10 p.m. – Los Angeles Dodgers at San Diego Padres
7/2 at 10:10 p.m. – San Diego Padres at Los Angeles Dodgers
7/3 at 10:10 p.m. – San Diego Padres at Los Angeles Dodgers
7/4 at 10:10 p.m. – San Diego Padres at Los Angeles Dodgers
7/5 at 7:20 p.m. – San Diego Padres at Los Angeles Dodgers
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