Almost every team in Major League Baseball is always hurting for starting pitching. It’s become the most sought-after commodity in all of baseball, and that has been reflected in the premium that clubs are now willing to pay to lock down controllable starters. A starting rotation can make or break your season as a club. If the rotation can pitch reliably and well, it’ll keep you in good shape for the playoffs. On the other hand, if your starters can barely cobble together five innings each night, it’s going to be a long season.
Such is the case for the San Diego Padres. The Padres have been in a bit of turmoil related to their rotation for quite some time now, needing to find solid inning-eaters for the last few years each time the offseason rolls around. They managed to do just that each time, though not without the uncertainty that comes with low-risk, high-reward players.
Finding Diamonds in the Rough
Before the 2026 season, the Friars managed to re-sign Michael King to a three-year deal. That alone was monumental for the Padres, but they still had two other spots to fill behind King, Nick Pivetta, and Joe Musgrove. One of those spots was likely to go to Randy Vásquez, but the fifth was unknown entirely.
Enter bargain shopping. General manager A.J. Preller signed Walker Buehler, Griffin Canning, Marco Gonzales, Germán Márquez, and Triston McKenzie. Those five fought against the likes of JP Sears and Matt Waldron for that final rotation spot.
But then, Musgrove never came back. After pitching two innings in his first (and only) outing in the spring, he never returned. San Diego has been relatively glib about his rehab, offering little to no timeline. Musgrove has seemingly yet to throw from a mound since March. Some even speculate that the Friar Faithful have seen the last of Musgrove that MLB will ever see.
For now, the Padres are operating as if Musgrove will return later this season. But until then, they have to do something to fill the void left. That’s been a combination of Buehler and Márquez thus far. The two have been wildly inconsistent but have been mostly serviceable for the Friars.
Adding Insult to Injury … Literally
The Padres’ pitching staff was showing flashes of dominance to start the year. The back end had plenty of question marks, but they had been relatively solid and were buoyed by one of the best front ends in the National League. And then Pivetta exited a start early with forearm stiffness. He’s since been diagnosed with a flexor strain in his throwing elbow, and Pivetta was placed on the IL. He’ll likely be out for a few months.
In his place, the knuckleballer Waldron was called up and has managed to pitch somewhat decently. His first two starts were awful, but since then he’s only given up four runs over his last 10 innings. He’s been serviceable until others pitch well enough to replace him.
Even though Pivetta will pitch again, it’s a major blow for San Diego. The club now cannot afford another injury to their rotation, or they risk falling out of contention altogether. The Friars have done well so far to get themselves to a 22-15 record and second place in the NL West, but if King or Vásquez gets injured, that will all be thrown into chaos.
Reinforcements on the Way
Thankfully, the Friars have help coming. After Pivetta went down, Preller did what he does best and immediately signed the top remaining free agent in Lucas Giolito. Giolito immediately improved the Padres’ starting pitcher depth, and he’s been getting ready for the season in the minors. He’s likely to come join the club in the next few weeks.
Adding to Giolito’s signing, Canning looked great rehabbing back from an Achilles injury that sidelined his 2025 season halfway through. He was called up to the big-league club, with Márquez being sent to the injured list with nerve inflammation. Canning debuted on Sunday and pitched five scoreless innings against the Chicago White Sox, giving up only three hits.
Those two additions will be relied upon heavily until Pivetta returns. They may be all that San Diego needs to tread water. It’s also possible that they could do even more than tread water. The floor is certainly low for both Canning and Giolito, who sport a career 4.63 and 4.30 ERA, respectively. But the ceiling is almost as high, if not higher.
The Friar Faithful can (and certainly does) have plenty of doubts about the state of this team’s starting group. But, for now, the alarm bells don’t need to be ringing just yet. The rotation was billed as this club’s biggest weakness, and it’s been anything but that to start the year. Whether or not San Diego can keep that performance up remains to be seen as the season marches on.
Main Photo Credit: Eric Canha-Imagn Images
