Padres starting rotation becoming clearer by the day after Mike Shildt update

Padres Manager Mike Shildt gave a much needed update on the current state of the Padres starting rotation at Fan Fest on Saturday, revealing that Adrian Morejon will not transition to a starting role in 2025 despite reports from earlier in the offseason. The six year veteran is coming off by far the best season of his career, where he quickly became one of the Padres most reliable bullpen options.

Morejon's 2.83 ERA over 63.2 innings gave him very similar numbers to All-Star closer Robert Suarez, who posted a 2.77 ERA over 65 innings. His 12 holds had him tied for second on the team with Tanner Scott, only trailing Jeremiah Estrada's 16. What does this mean? Morejon quietly had a very good season out of the Padres pen, and keeping him there for 2025 may make him even better.

Bottom half of Padres rotation still has questions

Morejon's confirmation as a bullpen piece for 2025 does clear up one question about potential rotation options for San Diego, but with only three spots seemingly locked up, the backend spots are still up for grabs.

Predicting that Dylan Cease stays in San Diego, the number one spot in the rotation is surely his. The key word however, is predicting. There is absolutely no guarantee that Cease is in San Diego next season, but for the sake of making a starting rotation out of the Padres current options, he is going to be the ace.

Michael King's deal last week was accompanied by a wave of relief across the Padres community. His 2024 season, his first as a full time starter, had many thinking the Padres had won the Juan Soto trade. A 1.192 WHIP and 2.95 ERA over 30 starts had him top-10 in Cy Young votes, and competing with Cease as the Padres best arm. Now locked up for the 2025 season, King will be the Padres number two.

Heading into his fifth season as a Padre, Yu Darvish will likely slot into the third spot after Joe Musgrove's season ending Tommy John surgery. Coming off an injury plagued 2024 that limited him to just 16 starts, his lowest total since the Covid season, the Padres will be looking for Darvish to be a consistent presence in the rotation in 2025.

The fourth and fifth spots in the rotation are where questions arise. With 20 starts in 2024, Randy Vasquez is the most likely option as the fourth starter given the Padres current roster. Vasquez was, at best, okay for San Diego in 2024. His ERA and WHIP were both higher than league average, and his 5.69 SO/9 was the lowest out of any Padres starter. With the limited number of starters that have major league experience on the roster, Vasquez may be in that fourth spot if no other moves are made.

Matt Waldron started his 2024 in the Padres rotation, but saw himself sent to Triple-A El Paso after making 26 starts. A disastrous 10-run performance against the Twins in late August saw Waldron optioned, which would be his last start in the majors in 2024. Much like Vasquez however, Waldron may be included in the rotation simply because of the teams lacking depth.

Newer names like Ryan Bergert and Henry Baez, both selected from Double-A San Antonio in November, could also find time in the rotation. Baez, the Padres seventh ranked prospect in 2024, has a fastball that can reach upper 90's, and a slider/changeup combo that yields high strikeout numbers.