Padres Predicted to Cut Ties With Veteran Pitcher Amid Struggles

San Diego Padres pitcher Matt Waldron was a saving grace for the team when Nick Pivetta landed on the injured list. The already thin starting rotation got thinner with Pivetta's departure, and the Padres needed a replacement as Griffin Canning and Joe Musgrove weren't ready to return from injury.

That opened the door for Waldron, who got his chance at maintaining a permanent spot in the rotation. Things have unfurled into somewhat of a nightmare for the right-hander, however, as his latest start on Tuesday marked the 13th consecutive appearance Waldron had given up a home run.

Waldron allowed six runs, eight hits and issued three walks across 2.2 innings of work. The veteran is sporting a 9.28 ERA through 21.1 innings this season.

His poor performance has given team insiders reason to believe Waldron's tenure with the Padres is over.

"Waldron has long battled internally over his identity on the mound — whether he is a pitcher with a knuckleball or a knuckleball pitcher. Whatever he is going forward, it will likely be in a different uniform," Kevin Acee of the San Diego Union-Tribune writes.

"It is debatable whether another team will want to give Waldron a chance to figure all that out. But they all will probably have the opportunity in the coming days."

The timing couldn't be worse for Waldron as the Padres have reinforcements coming with free agent addition Lucas Giolito set to join the big league roster by Saturday.

Waldron is out of options, which means he can't be sent to the minor leagues and is likely going to be designated for assignment. If no team claims him off waivers, the Padres could then keep him and assign him to the minor leagues.

It remains unclear whether a team would want to take a chance on the veteran, who did show he's a capable starter for about half of the 2024 season. But that was nearly two years ago.

Waldron understands the business and he isn't oblivious to the fact that his future with the Padres is hanging in the balance.

“Safe to say my ERA and my numbers aren’t too attractive right now,” he said. “And I have no options, so I mean, yeah, that’s where I’ll leave it. I’m smart enough. But, yeah, I’m one day at a time right now.”

There are several questions surrounding the Padres rotation, especially with key veterans Yu Darvish, Musgrove and Pivetta all sidelined for the foreseeable future. Darvish won't return this season, but the timeline for the latter two pitchers remains somewhat of a mystery.

President of baseball operations A.J. Preller has done what he can to aid the depleted rotation with the addition of Giolito, but the team will likely have to address the unit once again before the trade deadline this summer.

The Padres continue finding ways to win, but the team will need a boost before the postseason rolls around.

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