Doubts Growing Inside Padres Organization Over Final Rotation Spot: Report

The San Diego Padres have the best bullpen and one of the best lineups in Major League Baseball. The same can't be said about their starting rotation.

With Dylan Cease gone to the Toronto Blue Jays and Yu Darvish on the shelf after undergoing major elbow surgery, the Padres' rotation is full of question marks.

Michael King, Nick Pivetta and Joe Musgrove are anchoring the rotation, but all three come with uncertainty.

King started just 15 games last season after dealing with a nerve issue in his shoulder as well as a knee injury. Musgrove hasn't pitched since 2024 after undergoing Tommy John surgery. Pivetta had a career year in 2025, and will now have the pressure on him to replicate it.

After those three, the Padres don't have much to be confident about.

Randy Vásquez, who also had a career year in 2025, will almost certainly be the team's No. 4 starter. Then, the No. 5 starter is expected to be one of the following players:

Germán Márquez
Walker Buehler
JP Sears
Triston McKenzie
Marco Gonzales

According to Kevin Acee of the San Diego Union-Tribune, there is some doubt within the organization regarding the team's options for the fifth starter.

"Some voices in the organization argue whether the in-house candidates are good enough to round out a rotation that will help lift them into the postseason," Acee wrote.

Breakdown of Padres' fifth starter competition

Germán Márquez

Márquez, 31, is the early frontrunner for the final spot in the rotation after signing a one-year deal in February. However, the veteran right-hander has a career ERA of 4.67 (some of that can be attributed to pitching for the Colorado Rockies at Coors Field) and struggled in his first spring start, allowing three runs over two innings.

Walker Buehler

Buehler joined the Padres on a minor league deal last month and could be a dark horse in the race. However, he has failed to capture his prior success after undergoing a second Tommy John surgery, and there's no reason yet for San Diego to feel confident in him being a strong option.

JP Sears

Sears was acquired by the Padres in the Mason Miller trade at last year's deadline. He had a 5.47 ERA across five starts in the second half of last season and has allowed five runs over 3.2 innings this spring.

Triston McKenzie and Marco Gonzales

McKenzie and Gonzales were both minor league additions this offseason, and neither has been all that impressive this spring. McKenzie has allowed five runs over 2.2 innings. Gonzales has allowed five runs on 10 hits over 4.2 innings.

So who's going to be the fifth starter?

The lack of reliable options could force the Padres to look for alternatives ahead of Opening Day. However, the team is more likely to give these five veterans a shot, rotating through them as needed before Matt Waldron or Griffin Canning are ready to return from their injuries.

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