The San Diego Padres will be entering the new season with a completely revamped starting rotation. Yu Darvish and Joe Musgrove are the two main faces returning from the 2023 roster, but otherwise, they have brought in multiple new arms.
A few of them came over in the blockbuster trade that sent star outfielder Juan Soto to the New York Yankees, but the team has prioritized shedding salary this winter. San Diego will be relying on multiple inexperienced arms this season, but they are hopeful for continued success.
New manager Mike Shildt gave more insight into how the San Diego rotation might look this season. He mentioned the potential use for a long reliever, given the depth that the team has.
"There's definitely an opportunity for a swing-man, long-man, however you want to define it. Somebody that, if something doesn't go well early in a game, we can absorb innings, also a bridge person that can grab 2-3 innings to get to the back end of the bullpen — I think it's a strong possibility."
The Padres have quite a bit of pitchers that they can use this coming season, which could help ease potential injuries. Having someone who can take the ball as a long reliever is a useful tool a team can use, and the Padres seem to be going down that path.
San Diego has to fill out the last two spots in its rotation, which may not be finalized until after camp finishes. Shildt is confident in the guys that the team has right now, as the Padres look to get themselves back into playoff contention.
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