Walker Buehler Believes Padres Are 'Threat' to Dodgers in NL West

Walker Buehler was once the Opening Day starting pitcher for the Los Angeles Dodgers. Now, he's a part of the San Diego Padres starting rotation looking to take down the back-to-back World Series champions.

Buehler spent the first seven years of his career with the Dodgers, so he would know better than most whether the Padres could compete with the reigning champs in 2026. The right-hander is confident San Diego is a threat to the Dodgers in the NL West.

“I remember being on the other side of it and how big of a threat San Diego has been,” Buehler said to the San Diego Union-Tribune. “Being in this uniform, (I’m) hoping to kind of add to that. (The Dodgers have) had a ton of success and have done a lot of things really well, but I’m excited about what we have here as well. Looking forward to a good year.”

Buehler signed a minor league deal with the Padres this offseason as he searched for the team that could bring him back to All-Star form. The right-hander had quite the tough last two seasons as he hasn't quite found his stride since returning from Tommy John surgery.

In 2024, Buehler posted a 5.38 ERA in the regular season as a member of the Dodgers. Last season, he sported a 5.45 ERA with the Boston Red Sox before the team released him. He then signed with the Philadelphia Phillies for the final month of the regular season and brought his ERA down to 4.93.

Now, he's looking to get his career back on track with the Padres.

“Everybody wants to play in the big leagues,” Buehler said this spring. “I’ve played long enough that going to the minor leagues is not probably something that I would do. To put in an offseason like I did and move the family out here and get in better shape and do a lot of that kind of stuff, it’s super rewarding to kind of achieve the goal. But at the end of day, I still want to go out and have a good year. I think that’s obviously more important than anything else.”

Walker Buehler to Make First Start as a Padre vs Giants

Buehler and fellow veteran Germán Márquez are set to make their first starts for the Friars against the San Francisco Giants. Their performances will be crucial to the Padres' success this season.

Nick Pivetta, Michael King and Randy Vásquez are set to be the three staples of the rotation to begin the season as Joe Musgrove continues his rehab from Tommy John surgery. Buehler's performance will play a pivotal role for San Diego as the franchise hunts down the Dodgers in the division.

A majority of teams in the NL West had a rough Opening Weekend with the Padres being the only team not named the Dodgers to earn a win. Meanwhile, the defending champs remain unscathed as they enter their next series 3-0.

The Padres will look to Buehler and Márquez to keep the team in the win column.

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