Padres Pitching Staff Ranked Among Top 10 in MLB, Per Insider

The San Diego Padres’ offseason is widely considered one of the most unproductive in MLB.

But the lack of major moves and loss of key players did not seem to impact the Padres’ pitching staff, which MLB insider Anthony Castrovince ranked in the top 10 across the Major Leagues.

The Padres pitching staff earned the 10th spot in Castrovince’s rankings. Castrovince was initially debating between the Padres, the New York Yankees, Pittsburgh Pirates, or Cincinnati Reds for the final spot.

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Throughout the offseason, it seemed like the Padres would trade one of their pitchers to cut some payroll and increase their spending flexibility. Despite trade rumors circulating about multiple San Diego Players, both starting pitchers Dylan Cease and Michael King are currently key pieces in the Padres’ rotation.

The Padres acquired Cease and King in two separate trades in the 2023 offseason. Cease came from the Chicago White Sox, who received outfielder Samuel Zavala and right-handed pitchers Drew Thorpe, Jairo Iriarte, and Steven Wilson. Meanwhile, King was a product of the Juan Soto trade.

Cease and King both made immediate impacts in their first season with San Diego, finishing in the top seven of National League Cy Young Award voting last season. The pair also earned All-MLB second-team honors in 2024.

Cease was named the National League Pitcher of the Month in July after throwing the first no-hitter of his career and the second in Padres’ franchise history.

San Diego’s newest addition to the rotation is right-hander Nick Pivetta, who the Padres signed as a free agent to a four-year, $55 million contract on Feb. 17. Pivetta has pitched for the Philadelphia Phillies and most recently the Boston Red Sox, making at least 26 appearances in seven of his eight MLB seasons.

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Castrovince highlighted starting pitchers Yu Darvish and Kyle Hart as strong pieces of the Padres’ rotation in 2025. However, Darvish will start the season on the injured list with elbow inflammation.

Reliever Tanner Scott was a major loss for the Padres this offseason, as the right-hander signed a four-year deal with the Los Angeles Dodgers. Relievers Bryan Hoeing and Sean Reynolds remain with San Diego, but are battling injuries.

Regardless, the Padres are equipped with a talented pitching staff that should be their driving force this season.

For more Padres news, head over to Padres on SI.