PEORIA, Ariz. -- Walker Buehler has authored his share of memorable moments against the Padres. From the combined no-hitter he started in Mexico in 2018 to notable starts in the ‘20 and ‘24 postseasons.
On Tuesday, the longtime Dodgers right-hander strolled into the Padres’ Spring Training clubhouse and donned brown and gold for the first time. He’d just signed a Minor League deal with an invite to big league camp and will compete for a place at the back of the San Diego rotation.
“It feels a little weird,” Buehler said. “I’d imagine five years ago it might’ve felt a lot more weird. But this is a crazy game, and this is a great opportunity for me again to be a part of a really talented baseball club.”
Buehler’s journey
Once a force atop the Dodgers’ rotation, Buehler has been working to find his pre-2022 form. He underwent his second Tommy John surgery that season (his first coming shortly after the Dodgers selected him 24th overall in the 2015 Draft out of Vanderbilt). Aside from a stretch of clutch performances for L.A. in the ‘24 playoffs, he hasn’t been himself since returning.
Buehler signed a one-year deal with Boston prior to last season, and he struggled there, posting a 5.45 ERA. He was claimed by the Phillies after being released by Boston but only made three appearances.
On the whole, however, Buehler was much better down the stretch. In his last seven outings -- beginning with a strong start for the Red Sox at Petco Park last August -- he recorded a 2.53 ERA.
“Getting the velocity back as well as the delivery has kind of been the big thing,” Buehler said. “The second half of last year was relatively successful compared to the first half. There’s obviously some stuff we want to build on there.”
The Padres’ rotation race
If Buehler can regain some of the form that made him one of the sport’s best pitchers, there are starts available for him in San Diego. There are major question marks at the back of the Padres’ rotation and lingering health concerns with two of the most notable arms at the front.
Nick Pivetta, Michael King and Joe Musgrove comprise the first three places in the rotation. (Musgrove is coming off Tommy John surgery himself, and King only made 15 starts last season while dealing with a knee injury and a shoulder issue.) There are two spots available at the back end -- and a host of arms the Padres have brought on board to try and fill them.
Last week, new manager Craig Stammen noted that Randy Vásquez had an “inside track” to one of those two spots, and he reiterated that point on Tuesday -- even after the recent signings of Buehler, Germán Márquez and Griffin Canning (Canning is likely to miss the start of the season while recovering from an Achilles tear).
So it’s possible the final spot becomes a battle among Márquez, Buehler, JP Sears, Matt Waldron, Triston McKenzie and Marco Gonzales. That’s quite a few interesting arms for very few places. Maybe only one.
“Never too many options,” said Stammen.
Are the Padres … done?
Shortly after Buehler’s arrival, Stammen spoke with the media and, once again, offered his thoughts on an incoming player. He’s done that quite a bit this week.
“Excited to have him here in camp,” Stammen said. “A.J. [Preller] doesn’t stop.”
Indeed, over the past few days, the Padres have added Nick Castellanos and Ty France to their offensive mix, with Buehler, Canning and Márquez joining the rotation competition. Those moves came just days after Preller, the Padres general manager, had cited a need to add in both areas.
Now that he’s done so, there are no glaring holes on the San Diego roster. But it seems unlikely that Preller -- who himself signed a multiyear contract extension on Monday -- is done maneuvering. He said so himself.
“There are still a lot of good players out there,” Preller said Sunday, prior to the Buehler and France deals. “So we continue having conversations and talking, both on the trade and free-agent market. … The offseason doesn’t end with the Winter Meetings. You roster-build, really, throughout the whole season and throughout Spring Training.”