Padres May Not Open Season With Fifth Starter in Surprise Twist

The San Diego Padres have one major weakness on their roster as the 2026 MLB season gets going in less than two weeks. For all the star power that the team has on the roster, the starting rotation is a mess and could end up causing a lot of problems for this team.

San Diego lost ace Dylan Cease to the Toronto Blue Jays in free agency, while right-hander Yu Darvish will miss the year due to injury. Adding insult to injury, the Padres had planned to get righty Joe Musgrove back to open the year, but he is now set to open the season on the injured list.

This leaves the Padres with a real hole in the starting rotation as the new year approaches. To make up for losing Cease, the front office decided to bring in multiple arms to have a competition for the final rotation spots.

However, in a surprising twist, it now seems that San Diego may not carry a fifth starter into the season. The Padres have an excellent bullpen and are reportedly deciding whether to have the bullpen arms take over the spot. The Padres play just six games in the first eight days of the season.

"The question the Padres are weighing internally, however, is whether they trust one of their current fifth starters to cover enough innings and keep them in games versus possibly being better off relying on the strength of their team (the bullpen) to cover an entire nine innings once or twice early," Kevin Acee of the San Diego Union-Tribune wrote.

Nothing is set in stone, and the Padres could change their minds to add another starter to the mix. In spring, Walker Buehler, Triston McKenzie, Germán Márquez, Marco Gonzales and JP Sears have been vying for the spot.

Buehler may have an edge over the other guys trying for a spot, but his making the roster remains to be seen. The veteran right-hander signed with San Diego on a minor league deal this offseason.

First-year manager Craig Stammen wants to keep his guys healthy for the long regular season. Stammen seems content with getting creative with the starting rotation, especially considering all the questions around the team heading into the year.

“You can afford to be creative at least early in the season,” Stammen said. “If you try to be super creative throughout an entire 162(-game season), it might be difficult. But we’re pliable.”

Who is in the Padres rotation?

Right now, Nick Pivetta, Michael King and Randy Vásquez are locked into starting spots. Musgrove will have a spot in the rotation when he returns from injury.

San Diego opens the new season on March 26 against Tarik Skubal and the Detroit Tigers.

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