The San Diego Padres will have Wandy Peralta back in their bullpen next season, as the veteran left-hander has opted into the final year of his contract worth roughly $4.5 million for 2027.

The 35-year-old exercised his $4.45 million player option for 2027, according to Jon Heyman of the New York Post. The decision keeps him in San Diego for one more season rather than testing the free-agent market this winter.

Peralta originally signed a four-year, $16.5 million deal with the Padres in January 2024 after spending three seasons with the New York Yankees. The contract included three opt-outs, giving the reliever a chance to walk away after each of the first three seasons. He opted in after the 2024 and 2025 campaigns, and he has now done the same one last time.

The southpaw remained a durable presence for San Diego in 2026. Peralta made 65 appearances and went 3-3 with a 3.61 ERA, four holds and 50 strikeouts across 77 1/3 innings, the most innings he has logged in a Padres uniform. That followed a 2025 campaign in which he went 6-1 with a 3.14 ERA in 71 games.

It was a tale of two halves for the lefty. Peralta was one of the most reliable arms in the bullpen through the first few months of the season, carrying a sparkling 2.32 ERA into late July. His strong play even made him a subject of trade talks ahead of the deadline, with Heyman reporting at the time that Peralta was “actively being discussed in trades.”

The Padres ultimately held onto him through the Aug. 3 deadline, but Peralta struggled down the stretch as his ERA climbed over the final two months.

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San Diego’s season came to an end in the National League Division Series, where the Padres fell to the Milwaukee Brewers, who went on to win the first World Series title in franchise history.

Peralta’s decision to opt in comes as little surprise. At his age and coming off an uneven season, a guaranteed salary of $4.45 million is likely more than he could have expected to land on the open market.

For the Padres, bringing back Peralta gives the club a proven, experienced left-handed option in the bullpen at a reasonable price as it looks to make another postseason push in 2027.