Padres secure former World Series champion Walker Buehler. Can this ace rebound to fill a rotation spot and bolster their championship bid?
All of a sudden, the San Diego Padres have been busy adding pieces to the roster.
With spring training underway and the team gathering in Peoria, Arizona, newly-extended GM A.J. Preller has been busy on the phone.
The question entering camp was which players would take the final two spots in the rotation.
The Padres added depth to that equation by bringing in former Mets pitcher Griffin Canning, former Rockies All-Star German Marquez, and now ex-Dodgers star Walker Buehler.
Kevin Acee of The San Diego Union-Tribune first broke the news of Buehler joining the Padres on a minor league deal.
Buehler began his MLB career with the Dodgers in 2017 and was with the team all the way through the 2024 World Series campaign.
Then, he signed with the Boston Red Sox on a one-year, $21.5 million deal. In 2024, Buehler made just 16 starts with LA, going 1-6 with a 5.38 ERA after missing the entire 2023 season due to an injury.
Buehler struggled in Boston, going 7-7 with a 5.45 ERA in 22 starts, and he wound up being released before signing with the Phillies.
Buehler then made just two starts with Philadelphia in the regular season, but he appeared in a total of three games and went 3-0 with a 0.66 ERA in 13.2 innings.
However, his few appearances in Philadelphia were encouraging, which could be a sign of things to come in San Diego.
Buehler is a two-time All-Star and he was rolling before undergoing Tommy John surgery in 2022, forcing him to miss most of that season and all of 2023.
In his postseason career, Buehler has been excellent, going 4-4 with a 3.04 ERA in 18 starts, including a 2-0 record and a 1.80 ERA in the 2020 postseason.
Can Buehler Crack The Rotation?
That is an excellent question, and one that will be sorted out sometime this spring. Right now, Nick Pivetta, Joe Musgrove and Michael King are locked into the top three spots.
Then, Randy Vasquez figures to be the frontrunner for the No. 4 spot, leaving a few guys for the No. 5 spot. It remains to be seen if Craig Stammen rolls with a six-man rotation, and Canning likely won't be ready for Opening Day after suffering an Achilles tear last season.
That leaves guys such as JP Sears, Matt Waldron, Triston McKenzie, Marquez, and Buehler, along with Marco Gonzales, battling for the spots.
Buehler has the pedigree, and if he can rebound after a tough 2025 campaign, he could be a solid last option in the rotation for San Diego.