DALLAS -- The Padres' search for starting pitching will take center stage over the next few weeks, and -- naturally -- much of the focus will center around their pursuit of Roki Sasaki.

Rightly so. Sasaki is perhaps the top available free agent, now that Juan Soto has agreed to sign with the Mets. The 23-year-old Japanese right-hander was posted by the Chiba Lotte Marines on Monday, opening a 45-day window for Sasaki to negotiate with clubs. The Padres remain "very optimistic" that Sasaki will like their pitch.

But -- whether Sasaki lands in San Diego or not -- the Padres are going to search for starting pitching anywhere they can find it. There's more than one vacancy in their rotation, plus a need for depth.

"Every year, starting pitching, you've got to keep hitting it all the time, got to keep finding it, all different ways," said general manager A.J. Preller.

Indeed, the Padres just might get creative with the pieces on their roster to help fill out that rotation. Preller confirmed on Tuesday that at least one -- and possibly multiple -- relievers could stretch toward a starter's workload this spring.

San Diego will be looking at internal options to follow in the footsteps of relievers-turned-starters Seth Lugo and Michael King next season -- including, most notably, 25-year-old left-hander Adrian Morejon. Preller also acknowledged righties Bryan Hoeing and Stephen Kolek as candidates, then indicated there could be others.

Of course, these decisions will be predicated largely on the Padres¡¯ activity -- or lack thereof -- in the coming weeks.

¡°It's something that we'll talk a little bit more about when we get to the next couple weeks and see how the whole roster plays out,¡± Preller said. ¡°We'll have a little bit better sense of which path for Adrian specifically, and honestly a couple guys in our 'pen that we think have a path to extend out."

Morejon is coming off the best season of his career, in which he pitched his way into a high-leverage role for an excellent San Diego bullpen. He posted a 2.83 ERA across 60 appearances with a 2.79 FIP and 10 strikeouts per nine innings.

Most importantly, he was healthy. As a highly touted starting-pitching prospect in the Padres organization, Morejon struggled to stay on the mound. His 63 2/3 innings this season were his highest total since he spent 2018 between Rookie ball and High-A.

"He's super talented,¡± Preller said. ¡°He's shown flashes in the past of being a really quality big league pitcher, and this year, consistently, he took the ball. He throws strikes and has multiple pitches, is left-handed -- so it's attractive."

Hoeing was a part-time starter with the Marlins before the Padres acquired him at the Trade Deadline, then used him exclusively in relief. Kolek, a Rule 5 Draft choice from Seattle last year, showed some promise but posted a 5.21 ERA as a rookie reliever. (He made 27 starts for Double-A Arkansas in 2022.)

The Padres¡¯ need for starting pitching is a big one, following Joe Musgrove¡¯s Tommy John surgery and the departure of Mart¨ªn P¨¦rez via free agency. The front end of their rotation is excellent, but here¡¯s a quick look at where things stand overall:

Rotation locks: Michael King, Dylan Cease, Yu Darvish
Other rotation options: Randy V¨¢squez, Matt Waldron, Jhony Brito
Potential relievers-turned-starters: Morejon, Hoeing, Kolek

¡°After that,¡± said manager Mike Shildt, ¡°we¡¯re open for business.¡±

Jeremiah Estrada -- who broke out as a high-leverage weapon with a three-pitch mix -- is not a candidate for that switch, Preller said. The Padres, instead, prefer to see Estrada reach his ceiling as a lock-down, back-end reliever.

But otherwise, Preller left things open-ended. The Padres will continue to pursue starting pitching via the trade and free-agent markets, with Sasaki as their primary target. But even if they were to land Sasaki, thus filling out a fearsome front four in their rotation, the Padres would probably need two more starters. (Typically, young pitchers transitioning from Japan to the Major Leagues do so in a six-man rotation.)

The Padres have had plenty of success extending relievers into starting pitchers recently. They did it expertly with Lugo two seasons ago, then followed that same script for King in 2024. Both were essentially career relievers before arriving in San Diego. Both received Cy Young votes as starters in 2024 (Lugo with the Royals).

So who might be next in line?

¡°We¡¯ve been in that conversation, internally, about what that looks like for a few options in the 'pen,¡± Preller said. ¡°Haven¡¯t made any final decisions.¡±