Pivetta will draw the start in Tuesday's Game 1 matchup with the Cubs in the wild-card round, AJ Cassavell of MLB.com reports.

Pivetta will take the mound as the Padres' postseason run begins Tuesday, earning the nod after posting a 2.87 ERA and 0.99 WHIP with 190 strikeouts over 181.2 innings in 31 starts this season. The right-hander has surrendered six runs on 11 hits and five walks, while striking out 10 batters over 10.1 innings in his last two outings. Pivetta previously matched up with the Cubs twice in April, combining to pitch nine innings, giving up four runs on 10 hits and four walks, while punching out 10.

Merrill went 2-for-3 with two doubles, two walks, three RBI and two runs scored in Sunday's 12-4 win over the Diamondbacks.

Merrill posted eight multi-hit efforts over his last 20 games of the season, going 25-for-81 (.309) with seven homers, seven doubles, two triples and 16 RBI in that span. The outfielder had some rough stretches in the middle of the year, but he was good early and late and will look to carry his momentum in the playoffs. He wraps up the regular season with a .264/.317/.457 slash line, 16 home runs, 67 RBI, 59 runs scored, one stolen base, 25 doubles and six triples over 115 contests.

Machado went 2-for-2 with a solo home run, a second RBI and two total runs scored in Sunday's 12-4 win over the Diamondbacks.

Machado was done after three innings with the Padres leading 6-2 at the time. That was likely to afford him some extra rest ahead of the playoffs. The third baseman went 14-for-46 (.304) with four homers and 11 RBI over his last 12 games of the regular season. Overall, he posted a .275/.335/.460 slash line with 27 homers, 95 RBI, 91 runs scored, 14 stolen bases and 33 doubles across 159 games, numbers largely in line with his performances in 2023 and 2024.

Snell is in line to start Game 1 of the Dodgers' wild-card round series against the Reds on Tuesday, David Vassegh of AM 570 LA Sports reports.

Snell is a "good bet" to start the team's postseason opener versus Cincinnati, according to manager Dave Roberts. The left-hander last toed the rubber Wednesday against the Diamondbacks, tossing six innings of one-run ball, allowing five hits and a walk, while striking out five. Snell finished the 2025 regular season having posted a 2.35 ERA and 1.26 WHIP with 72 strikeouts over 61.1 innings in 11 starts.

Sears (9-11) allowed two runs on seven hits and three walks while striking out four over 5.2 innings to earn the win over the Diamondbacks on Sunday.

Sears got a spot start in the regular-season finale to give the rest of the Padres' starters some rest ahead of the playoffs. This was one of his better performances since being acquired from the Athletics at the trade deadline -- he posted a 5.47 ERA over 24.2 innings in five outings following the trade. Overall, Sears closed the regular season at a 5.04 ERA, 1.32 WHIP and 117:36 K:BB across 135.2 innings.

Alonso said after Sunday's 4-0 loss to the Marlins that he plans to exercise the opt-out clause in his contract and become a free agent this offseason, Anthony DiComo of MLB.com reports.

Alonso signed a two-year, $54 million contract with the Mets in February, which included an opt out after the 2025 season. For the second season in a row, Alonso played in all 162 games for the Mets, batting .272 with 38 home runs, 126 RBI, 87 runs scored and one stolen base. The slugger will now enter free agency with plenty of interested suitors for his talents, though a return to the Mets could remain a possibility.

Acuna went 1-for-3 with a two-run home run and a walk in Sunday's 4-1 win over the Pirates.

Acuna had a total of 21 homers for the season, including six over his last 16 games. In that span, he hit .373 (22-for-59) and added 10 RBI and three stolen bases. The star outfielder concludes 2025 at a .290/.417/.518 slash line, 42 RBI, 74 runs scored and nine steals across 95 contests in another campaign disrupted by injuries.

Iglesias struck out one in a perfect inning to earn the save in Sunday's 4-1 win over the Pirates.

Iglesias was a little rough coming out of the All-Star break, but over his last 27 appearances of the year, he allowed just one run with a 27:6 K:BB over 26.2 innings. He also earned 18 of 29 saves for the year in that stretch, which reasserted his status as a high-end closer. The right-hander also posted a 3.21 ERA, 1.00 WHIP and 73:16 K:BB through 67.1 innings overall.

Sale (7-5) allowed one run on four hits and two walks while striking out nine over 5.2 innings to earn the win over the Pirates on Sunday.

Charlie Morton got his Atlanta curtain call with 1.1 scoreless innings to open the game before Sale took over. Sale was pitching with a lead the entire time, and the lone run he allowed was on a Joey Bart single in the sixth inning. Sale gave up just 11 runs over 36.1 innings across six appearances after returning from a fractured ribcage. For the season, the southpaw ended up with a 2.58 ERA, 1.07 WHIP and 165:32 K:BB through 125.2 innings across 21 appearances (20 starts), showing that he can still pitch at an elite level at age 36. Atlanta has an $18 million team option to keep Sale around for the 2026 season if it so chooses.

Oviedo (2-1) allowed two runs on three hits and three walks while striking out three over five innings to take the loss Sunday versus Atlanta.

Oviedo gave up a two-run home run to Ronald Acuna in the first inning, and that was ultimately enough to prevent the right-hander from staying undefeated this season. He was rarely bad but also failed to stand out in his nine starts, walking exactly three batters on seven occasions while failing to complete six frames in any outing. Overall, he finished with a 3.57 ERA, 1.21 WHIP and 42:23 K:BB over 40.1 innings, which is a fine performance after returning from a December 2023 Tommy John surgery.