Padres insider hints team could make aggressive pitching moves to improve roster

The San Diego Padres have received some good, some bad, and some ugly from their starting rotation so far this season. The good has definitely been Dylan Cease, who's put himself in line to compete for the NL Cy Young Award this season. The bad has been the walks issued, which ranks as the fifth-most in the National League. And the ugly has been Joe Musgrove's struggles before landing on the injured list.

Musgrove is on the IL with elbow inflammation, which had the team recall Randy Vasquez. The right-hander, who was acquired during the offseason trade with the New York Yankees as part of the deal for Juan Soto, pitched well in his first outing since returning from the minor leagues. Vasquez went 4.1 innings and allowed just one earned run.

But outside of Cease, Yu Darvish, and Michael King, the Padres rotation is very much in flux. Musgrove's injury adds to the questions regarding the remaining two spots, and the duo of Vasquez and Matt Waldron may not be long-term solutions for the Friars rotation moving forward.

Padres insider hints at big moves to solve pitching problems

Dennis Lin of The Athletic (subscription required) hinted that some big moves could be coming just around the corner. The Padres insider believes that Jhony Brito, Adam Mazur, Ryan Bergert, and Robby Snelling could all find their way into a starting role as the season moves along.

Seeing as how Padres President of Baseball Operations AJ Preller emptied out the team's top-level pitching prospects (Drew Thorpe and Jairo Iriarte) from the upper-minor leagues, it makes sense that San Diego may want to push some of their mid-tier prospects up to the next level.

More than anything, the Padres need to get Musgrove back into the rotation. A healthy version of Musgrove is better than most arms in MLB. But his early-season struggles before landing on the IL aren't very encouraging. The right-hander was 3-3 with a 6.37 ERA and 1.51 WHIP in eight starts.

Preller said during an interview with 97.3 The Fan earlier this week that he expects Mugrove to return in time for the upcoming series against the Atlanta Braves. The Friar faithful need Java Joe back on the bump, but it's nice to have a contingency plan in the event that the veteran isn't 100% and needs more time to recover.

Preller's aggression has seen mixed results thus far, but 2024 has featured good returns. Fans are hoping for more of the same on the pitching front.

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