The San Diego Padres‘ hot start to the 2026 campaign is a thing of the past, as the team is limping into the All-Star break. With a 47-48 record heading into play on Sunday, the Padres are in trouble, as they need to find a way to keep themselves in the National League Wild Card race in the second half of the season.
For much of the year, the spotlight has been on San Diego’s struggling lineup, but the pitching staff also could use some help. One guy the Padres could have looked at was one of their former starting pitchers, Chris Paddack. However, according to a new report, it appears Paddack is heading to Korea in an attempt to get his career back on track.
Chris Paddack Goes to Korea After Recent Release
Paddack broke into the majors with the Padres back in 2019, as he spent the first three years of his career with the team. As a 23-year-old rookie, Paddack looked like a star in the making, as he posted a 9-7 record with a 3.33 ERA and 153 strikeouts in 26 starts for San Diego. To this day, though, that remains easily his best season in the majors.
Since then, Paddack has struggled to replicate that form. He spent three-and-a-half years with the Minnesota Twins before bouncing to the Detroit Tigers, Miami Marlins, Cincinnati Reds, and Texas Rangers (in that order) over the past year or so. Paddack has pitched for each of the three latter teams this year, and his numbers during his time on the mound are not good (0-7, 6.79 ERA, 40 K, 1.67 WHIP).
After getting cut by the Rangers earlier this month, Paddack was left in a tough spot. He could wait for another opportunity in the majors to emerge, but his poor performance made that unlikely to happen. Instead, he opted to head to the KBO, as he signed a deal with the Samsung Lions in Korea.
“Chris Paddack, who was on the Major League Baseball (MLB) mound for the Texas Rangers until June 30 (Korean time), is expected to wear the Samsung Lions uniform,” Ilyo Shinmun reported. “Negotiations with Samsung are almost complete, leaving only detailed clauses intact, and it is reported that they will soon enter the country to undergo medical testing. If there are no major variables in the medical test, the club is expected to make an official announcement.”
Chris Paddack Hoping to Find His Way in Korea
GettyFormer Padres starting pitcher Chris Paddack has signed with the Samsung Lions in Korea
Paddack has frequently flashed glimpses of his potential, but he has never been able to consistently prevent runs from scoring at a high clip. While he can rack up gaudy strikeout totals, the most important thing a pitcher can do is post zeroes on the scoreboard, and Paddack has not been able to do that at a consistent clip.
As he attempts to find his way in Korea, the Padres find themselves stuck in a similar situation, with their playoff hopes fading amid their continued woes. San Diego will attempt to pick up a series victory over the Toronto Blue Jays on Sunday afternoon before enjoying some time off for the All-Star break.
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