Padres projected Opening Day rotation may not be what fans want to see

Jared Bloom

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Padres projected Opening Day rotation may not be what fans want to see image

Not many teams are in dire need of starting pitchers quite like the San Diego Padres. They come into the offseason likely needing to replace three arms: Dylan Cease, Michael King, and Yu Darvish. 

Both Cease and King are free agents on the open market, while Yu Darvish is still on the roster, but will miss the 2026 season after undergoing surgery to repair his UCL. 

So, San Diego will almost certainly go after at least one starting pitcher, but who? There are quite a few big-name pitchers on the open market, or they could turn their attention to some smaller names on short-term deals. 

Padres projected Opening Day rotation may not be what fans want to see

While fans would love to see the team go after someone like Framber Valdez, that might not be attainable. Instead, Bleacher Report's Joel Reuter sees the team going after Luke Weaver and NPB pitcher Jon Duplantier. 

"Luke Weaver has said he is open to returning to a starting role after finding success in the Yankees bullpen, while former D-backs prospect Jon Duplantier is an intriguing name to monitor after he logged a 1.24 ERA, 0.82 WHIP, and 128 strikeouts in 101.1 innings in Japan in 2025."

Luke Weaver is coming off a season with the New York Yankees, where he was a vital part of their bullpen. However, he has addressed his desire to return to being a starter. 

Duplantier spent this past season in the NPB, where he was nearly untouchable. 

However, these are two names that are unlikely to excite the fan base too much. Especially when Ranger Suarez, Zac Gallen, and Nick Martinez are available. 

This would leave them with an Opening Day rotation of:

  • Nick Pivetta
  • Joe Musgrove
  • Randy Vasquez
  • Luke Weaver
  • Jon Duplantier

This may not be what the fans were hoping for. Some are still holding onto hope that the front office can retain either Cease or King, but the fans will have to wait and see. 

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