Who's Competing for the Final Spot in the Padres Rotation?

One of the biggest competition in this spring's San Diego Padres camp will be for the No. 5 starting pitcher slot in the rotation. As of now, the Padres rotation includes Nick Pivetta, Yu Darvish, Michael King, and Dylan Cease.

The Padres plan on opening the season with a five-man rotation, meaning there is one slot left to fill.

“We’re not going to have too many handcuffs on starters, but early in the season we’re gonna be smart about knowing it’s a longer season,” Padres manager Mike Shildt said. “We do have every Thursday off for a significant start of the season. So that’s built-in days off that will help with that and then allows us to be able (have) an eight-man bullpen to start, most likely.”

Both King and Cease were mentioned in trade rumors throughout the offseason, but it appears the pair will remain with the Padres to start the season. With Joe Musgrove recovering from Tommy John surgery, San Diego is looking to add one more pitcher to the mix.

Who that will be remains a mystery so early in spring training, however the candidates include Kyle Hart, Jhony Brito, Stephen Kolek, Matt Waldron, and Randy Vásquez.

Hart, who won the Korean version of the Cy Young Award last year, has a chance of filling the final slot in the San Diego rotation, but Shildt is prioritizing his build up in camp more than anything else.

“He’ll compete for a spot in the rotation,” Shildt said, via Kevin Acee of The San Diego-Union Tribune. “Also want to make it clear to him — and have — that we have a full spring training. You know, we have 39 full days left of camp, and he’s going to want to come in and seize that rotation spot. But let’s take inventory of where he’s at right now, and build him up appropriately.”

Hart, along with Waldron and Vásquez, are the three favorites to earn the final starting spot in the rotation. With Brito and Kolek both healthy again, the pair will also get a shot at emerging as the No. 5 starter.