Padres' Spring Training rotation battle has an underrated wild card in the mix

Folks, it is officially baseball season. Pitchers and catchers are reporting to camp this week, signifying the start of the 2026 MLB season. It's a clean slate for every player, whether rookie or veteran.

The beginning of a new campaign is exciting, but it's also a little nerve-racking for a good chunk of players. For the San Diego Padres, this Spring Training can be make-or-break for four pitchers, who will battle it out for the fifth spot in the starting rotation.

Among JP Sears, Triston McKenzie, Matt Waldron, and Marco Gonzales, these four arms will be pit against each other for the next month with one unified goal. Whose spot is it to lose? Who needs a big-time performance to get ahead?

Four Padres pitchers will battle for fifth spot in starting rotation at 2026 Spring Training

As it stands, the final rotation spot should probably go to JP Sears. The left-hander will have a full offseason and spring training to work with Ruben Niebla, and as it stands, Sears isn't too far away from being a no-doubt starter after being demoted in 2025 — not long after being traded from the Athletics to the Padres.

If Sears doesn't completely fall apart in the spring, he should crack the starting rotation to begin the regular season.

Sears' biggest threat is likely to be Triston McKenzie. Though a wild card, McKenzie is still young enough for the right set of coaches to fix his control issues. If he doesn't pan out as a starter, they can deploy him to the bullpen and let him rip for one inning at a time. But if he has an exceptional spring, he may just be good enough to land in the rotation.

Matt Waldron is facing an uphill battle for the fifth spot after dealing with injuries in 2025. He also struggled mightily in 18 Triple-A starts last season, producing a 6.67 ERA and 3.09 BAA. That spells trouble for a guy who made 24 MLB starts in 2024. He's projecting in the wrong direction and will need to be head and shoulders above Sears and/or McKenzie this spring in order to be considered for the rotation.

And then there is Marco Gonzales, who probably doesn't stand a chance. Signed to a minor league deal, the soon-to-be 34-year-old did not pitch in 2025 after dealing with forearm problems the year prior. Gonzales was slowly getting worse before heading to the injured list, registering .282 and .312 BAA in the previous two seasons. It would be a shock if he makes it out of Padres camp, but you never know what could happen before then.