Who will claim the final rotation spot? McKenzie, Sears, Waldron, or Gonzales fight for their chance, with a potential trade or signing looming.
The San Diego Padres enter spring training with Joe Musgrove, Nick Pivetta and Michael King on top of the rotation.
Randy Vasquez seems like a favorite to land one of the final two spots, and it would be surprising if he doesn't make the rotation after he was surprisingly reliable in 2025.
Assuming Vasquez gets the fourth spot, that leaves just one rotation spot open heading into spring training.
There is a scenario where San Diego adds a pitcher via trade or free agency, just like A.J. Preller did last year when he waited around and signed Nick Pivetta very late.
If not, that means there are a few players fighting for the final rotation spot, and AJ Cassavell of MLB.com had four pitchers battling it out.
The Padres beat writer had JP Sears, Triston McKenzie, Matt Waldron and Marco Gonzales all aiming for the final spot.
Of the four, McKenzie is the most interesting, and the former Cleveland Guardians starter reunites with pitching coach Ruben Niebla.
McKenzie had an ERA of 3.69 and a 1.03 WHIP across 60 starts in Cleveland, so the talent is there, it's just a matter of getting back to that form.
Both Waldron and Sears are on the 40-man roster, but that shouldn't be a big deal if Craig Stammen wants to go in another direction.
Sears came over at the trade deadline along with Mason Miller. However, Sears made just five starts, going 2-2 with a whopping 5.04 ERA with San Diego. He pitched just 24.2 innings and gave up 31 hits with 16 runs, so there was more to be desired than what he did last season.
Waldron had just one start in 2025 in the big leagues, but in 2024, he started 26 games, going 7-11 with a 4.91 ERA.
Waldron dealt with injuries last year and was up and down from AAA to the majors, so both he and Sears have work to do to show they can be deserving of the final spot.
That likely means McKenzie enters camp as the most intriguing player, especially if San Diego can find a way for the former Guardians pitcher to return to the way he pitched from 2020-2022.
So, there are a lot of options, and Preller can throw a massive wrench in their hopes by making a late signing in free agency or finding a trade partner.