Padres have best starting rotation in baseball

Padres set themselves up for success with big moves

With the 2021 major league baseball season emerging on the horizon, the San Diego Padres have set themselves up to have the best starting rotation in the sport.

The conclusion to last October’s playoffs left a bad taste in the mouth of Padres general manager A.J. Preller. The old baseball adage of “you never have enough pitching” could never have been a truer definition of the Friars’ exit from the postseason.

The loss of Mike Clevinger and Dinelson Lamet was too much to overcome in the divisional series against the eventual World Series champ Los Angeles Dodgers.

Quickly, Preller rectified the situation with three blockbuster trades. In a span of three weeks, the Padres acquired Blake Snell, Yu Darvish and Joe Musgrove in an effort to remove the threat of ever again being short-handed in the starting pitching department come playoff time.

The initial reaction to the moves were the Padres are serious about contending for a World Series title. Rarely do you see an organization add three quality starting pitchers in one offseason unless they’re the New York Yankees. Also, Preller has no qualms in trading highly-touted minor league prospects in exchange for proven major league talent.

Let’s take a closer look at the Padres projected starting rotation for next season as they prepare for an epic chase to the postseason:

Padres projected starting rotation: No. 1 — LHP Blake Snell

There is no dispute that Snell is the ace of the Padres without ever having thrown a pitch in the brown and yellow. The list is small of those pitchers who can match his skill level on the mound. He is an ideal lefthander who could neutralize the Dodgers’ dominant right-hand hitting lineup.

Snell’s MLB resume includes a career record of 42-30 with a 3.24 ERA and he won the 2018 American League Cy Young Award. It will not take him too long to get comfortable in his new surroundings and become a force in the National League.

And the best part of the trade is that the Padres have Snell under team control for three more seasons.

Padres projected starting rotation: No. 2 — RHP Yu Darvish

There is no question Darvish has been up-and-down in his major league career. He showed great promise as a double-digit winner in his first three seasons with Texas Rangers. But Darvish had well-documented struggles during his time with the Dodgers and Chicago Cubs. Various media reports suggested that he was tipping his pitches.

However in 2020, Darvish had a standout season by going 8-3 with a 2.01 ERA and finishing second in the NL Cy Young Award voting. He is talented and brings much-needed experience to a youthful Padres pitching staff. But Darvish comes at a price as he will be 35 in August and is owed $62 million on his current deal.

Padres projected starting rotation: No.3 — RHP Dinelson Lamet

Clearly, the 27-year-old showed that he was the Padres’ best starting pitcher last season. Lamet was 3-1 2.09 ERA with 93 Ks in 69 IP. But red flags have been raised on concerns on whether he can stay healthy for an entire season. Lamet’s laundry list of arm injuries has removed him from consideration for the top spot of the rotation.

Strictly in terms of his on-the-mound ability, Lamet showed how dominant he can be against major league hitters. Still, the Padres must treat him with kid gloves by limiting his innings and skipping starts at certain points in the season.

Hopefully, the platelet-rich plasma treatment for bicep tightness injury will keep him out of the trainer’s room and on the field in 2021. All done with the purpose to preserve Lamet for postseason starts.

Padres projected starting rotation: No. 4 — RHP Joe Musgrove

In an unpredictable 2020 season, Joe Musgrove (1-5 3.86 ERA) demonstrated the skill level needed to become an upper-echelon pitcher in a starting rotation. The Padres secured his services and he may be the best long-range acquisition this offseason.

Musgrove showed how effective (55 strikeouts in 39.2 innings) he can be as an ace of the staff. Granted, it was with the worst team in baseball, the Pittsburgh Pirates.

In eight starts, Musgrove limited contact by opposing hitters as they collectively batted .226 against him last season. At the moment, Musgrove may not be at the level of the other two starters acquired this winter, but he is on track to becoming a quality starter in his hometown for many years to come.

Padres projected starting rotation: No. 5 — RHP Chris Paddack

One of the most electrifying arms on the Padres pitching staff is Chris Paddack, but he is in danger of losing his spot in the rotation. It is hard to imagine a 25-year-old pitcher who tantalized Padres fans with an outstanding (9-7, 3.36 ERA) rookie campaign has fallen so far from grace. But Paddack’s production (4-5, 4.73 ERA) declined significantly in 2020.

Now, he is one of several candidates who will battle for the fifth spot in the rotation come spring training. Paddack must harness his fastball and cutter while gaining better control of his curveball and changeup for strikes.

He has the potential to pitch his way back to the top of Padres rotation. But Paddack has work to be done and it begins with getting more swings and misses by opposing hitters.

Padres projected starting rotation: Internal options

In last season’s playoffs, Padres manager Jayce Tingler wore his bullpen out, mostly out of necessity. His top two starting pitchers were out of action due to injuries and he didn’t have adequate replacements available. That became painfully obvious as the playoffs progressed.

Heading into spring training, the Padres have three minor league prospects (MacKenzie Gore, Adrian Morejon and Ryan Weathers) ready to make a contribution if called upon this season. All have the potential to claim a spot on a major league staff in 2021.

No one should be surprised to see Gore, Morejon or Weathers pitching in key moments this summer. Right now, no other major league team can match the Padres starting pitching depth chart.

The Padres had a tremendous offseason as they have constructed a quality starting rotation to do battle with the Dodgers. But titles are won on the field and not on a piece of paper.

Still, this summer should be fun in America’s Finest City.