Padres fans may need ESPN subscription to watch games in 2026 as new MLB deal could move local telecasts to streaming platform.

Major League Baseball is working toward a deal that would move Padres games to ESPN for three seasons beginning in 2026, a league source confirmed for the Union-Tribune. The Athletic first reported on negotiations that would shift the full rights that MLB has for five teams— the Padres,

This weekend represents the last 2025 regular-season series between the Los Angeles Dodgers and San Diego Padres. Unfortunately, the rivalry has cooled due to the Dodgers’ dominance over the Padres in head-to-head competition.

The Dodgers activated reliever Tanner Scott from the injured list Friday before their key weekend series against the Padres. Scott, who led the majors with seven blown saves when he was sidelined, missed a month with left elbow inflammation.

How to watch the MLB game between the San Diego Padres and the Los Angeles Dodgers, as well as first-pitch time and team news.

The league struck a deal with ESPN and NBC. Per Andrew Marchand of The Athletic, MLB.TV will now be part of the new ESPN Unlimited direct-to-consumer platform, and the company would have "the exclusive rights to sell all out-of-market regular-season games digitally and in-market games for five clubs over the next three years."

Expert recap and game analysis of the San Diego Padres vs. San Francisco Giants MLB game from 21 August 2025 on ESPN (IN).

Major League Baseball and ESPN have reached a preliminary agreement that would allow the Worldwide Leader in Sports “the exclusive rights to sell all out-of-market regular-season games digitally and in-market games for five clubs over the next three years,” The Athletic’s Andrew Marchand reported.

After making some of the biggest splashes of the MLB trade deadline, the Padres and Mariners emerged as the biggest odds movers and most popular selections for bettors in the futures markets.

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The Padres’ losing streak reached four games in part as a result of the play reversal. San Diego dropped to two games out of first place.