SAN DIEGO -- The Padres have begun adding some of the starting-pitching depth they so desperately need this winter.
Right-hander Triston McKenzie has signed a Minor League deal with the Padres and will receive an invite to big league Spring Training.
After spending 10 years in the Guardians' organization -- including a significant portion of that time working with current Padres pitching coach Ruben Niebla -- McKenzie is a buy-low proposition with obvious upside.
As recently as 2022, McKenzie was one of the best pitchers in the American League. He made 30 starts and posted a 2.92 ERA. But the following season, McKenzie dealt with elbow and shoulder injuries, and he hasn’t come close to those heights since. He made only four big league appearances last season with an 11.12 ERA.
Still, McKenzie is only 28 years old. He’s a former first-round pick and top prospect. Perhaps he’ll be boosted by a reunion with Niebla, who served as a pitching instructor in the Guardians’ organization during McKenzie’s ascension to the big leagues.
In any case, McKenzie is precisely the kind of project the Padres should be taking on. They’re short on depth-rotation options, having moved a handful of upper-level pitching prospects in recent trades.
San Diego still must add two big league starters to its mix. The McKenzie deal does nothing to change that. But he’ll be able to compete for a spot at the back of the rotation and potentially serve as depth at the Minor League level.
As things stand, the Padres’ rotation consists of Nick Pivetta, Joe Musgrove and Randy Vásquez. Yu Darvish will miss the season following elbow surgery, and Dylan Cease has already departed in free agency. Michael King could do the same.
That leaves the Padres searching for at least one more frontline starter to pair with Pivetta and Musgrove and one back-end starter alongside Vásquez. JP Sears and Matt Waldron are other starting-pitching options on the 40-man roster, but both struggled last year. Left-hander Kyle Hart re-signed with the club earlier this offseason but seems likelier to pitch in relief.