A closer look at where SD's rotation stands as ST begins

PEORIA, Ariz. -- Padres pitchers and catchers held their first formal workout at the Peoria Sports Complex on Wednesday -- which brought a predictable ear-to-ear smile from manager Mike Shildt.

¡°One of the best days of the year, right?¡± Shildt said.

Certainly one of the most highly anticipated on the baseball calendar. For the Padres, the dawn of a new season put a brighter spotlight on their starting rotation -- a rotation with high-end talent at the front and question marks at the back.

Two months ago, at the Winter Meetings in Dallas, general manager A.J. Preller noted three areas of need: catcher, left field and the rotation. He¡¯s addressed each of the first two.

The rotation, however, remains a work in progress. The Padres will continue to look to add to that mix this spring. But as camp began on a brisk February morning in Peoria, the current group of starters assembled for the first time. Here¡¯s where things stood:

Two spots up for grabs

Dylan Cease, Michael King and Yu Darvish make up a front three the Padres believe is on par with any in baseball. Cease and King finished in the top seven in Cy Young voting last season, and while Darvish missed three months, he was excellent in the postseason.

Beyond that group are the question marks. Joe Musgrove is in camp, but he will miss the season following Tommy John surgery. Landing Roki Sasaki would¡¯ve obviously eased rotation-depth concerns. But Sasaki, of course, chose the Dodgers, and the Padres have not added to their starting mix since.

That might still be coming. In the meantime¡­

¡°We have good competition, which is healthy,¡± Shildt said.

Waldron and V¨¢squez at the forefront

The early leaders for the final two places are Matt Waldron and Randy Vásquez, last year¡¯s two biggest contributors among the current group of contenders.

¡°It¡¯s a great opportunity,¡± V¨¢squez said through interpreter Danny Sanchez. ¡°Focus on having a good Spring Training. Hopefully the team sees what I¡¯m able to do. With the opportunity that¡¯s there, I would love to be a part of [the rotation].¡±

Shildt was quick to note that Waldron helped carry the rotation amid a spate of injuries early last summer, even if his season was up-and-down on the whole.

¡°I¡¯m remembering what I need to remember with some of the failures,¡± said Waldron, who noted his plan to throw his knuckleball at a higher clip this year. ¡°But I¡¯m also remembering all of the positive things and building off of those. ¡­ I¡¯m really just striving for a more consistent year.¡±

Kolek in the mix

The offseason brought speculation about which relievers might be given a chance to lengthen into a starting role. The first day of camp brought clarity:

Stephen Kolek, welcome to the rotation race. Bryan Hoeing? Still in the ¡®pen.

Kolek, a Rule 5 Draft selection who pitched exclusively in relief last year, has now spent a full season in the big leagues. That means he¡¯s eligible to be optioned to the Minors -- which should be beneficial as the Padres look to him to provide rotation depth. For now, however, he¡¯s vying for a big league job.

¡°He¡¯s got four pitches that allow him to compete as a starter,¡± Shildt said. ¡°He¡¯s got the weapons. ¡­ I like the fact he¡¯s got that power sinker that can allow him to get some quicker outs.¡±

Hoeing, meanwhile, has been much more effective as a reliever throughout his career, and the Padres intend to continue using him that way -- as a multi-inning option out of their bullpen. (Same with Adrian Morejon, who Shildt said would remain in the bullpen at FanFest.)

A healthy Brito (and more options)

The other name Shildt mentioned was Jhony Brito, who has recovered from the right elbow strain that ended his 2024 season prematurely. Brito threw his first bullpen session Wednesday and might be eased along slowly early in camp. But the Padres expect him to be in their rotation mix.

¡°I¡¯m going to get the opportunity to show what I can do as a starter,¡± Brito said. ¡°Now it¡¯s about going out there and competing.¡±

Beyond Brito, a handful of interesting prospects -- including Henry Baez (Padres¡¯ No. 7) and Braden Nett (No. 20) -- will get a look this spring. Still, the Padres¡¯ depth is thin -- a product of several trades last year that depleted the upper levels of their system.

It¡¯s safe to expect the rotation picture will expand with an addition or two in the coming weeks.