Padres’ Buehler twist reveals unsettling development gap compared to Dodgers

The Padres signed right-hander Walker Buehler to a minor-league contract in February, allowing him to get his career back on the right track. However, landing in San Diego revealed plenty of information that dates back to as late as 2012, and it goes to show how this upcoming stint could be a full-circle moment for the 31-year-old.

In the 2012 MLB Draft, the Padres selected a pair of starting pitchers very early on in left-hander Max Friend and right-hander Zach Eflin. However, neither of the two ended up pitching a single inning for San Diego, as they ended up getting traded elsewhere.

Padres passed on Buehler before Dodgers turned him into a nightmare

Buehler was selected in the 14th round of 2012 out of high school, and he revealed that he was on the Padres' radar. In fact, he said that it was as close as ever for him to be pitching in brown and yellow.

“We kind of had somewhat of an agreement at pick 55,” Buehler said. “There was a scout named Kevin Jarvis that my mom knew really well. He was working for the Padres, and so my mom was more comfortable with that. I was 17, so that comfort was important.”

Buehler was selected by the Pittsburgh Pirates, but ended up pitching at Vanderbilt before going to the draft again. He was selected by the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2015 with the twenty-fourth overall pick.

Buehler went on to win a pair of World Series in seven seasons with the Dodgers, which definitely makes the Padres look bad.

San Diego will have the opportunity to redeem themselves, and that can be done by getting Buehler back on the right track. In 2025, he struggled across his time with the Boston Red Sox and Philadelphia Phillies, compiling a 4.93 ERA in 126 innings.

Let's see if Ruben Niebla can work his magic with Buehler and turn him into a real threat on the mound.