Padres' young arm could find his way to the starting rotation early

There is no denying that the offseason did not go to plan how the San Diego Padres would have wanted it to. They lost several key contributors like Dylan Cease, Robert Suarez, Luis Arraez, and Ryan O'Hearn. 

That is quite the group to lose, and San Diego has not done much to bring in any star players. They did get a deal done with Michael King, but the loss of Cease is tough with Yu Darvish out for the 2026 season. 

There are not many options left on the open market, but there are a few. Zac Gallen still sits waiting for his next opportunity, and so does Chris Bassitt. 

MORE: Padres' Joe Musgrove faces a ton of pressure after a lost 2025 season

Padres' young arm could find his way to the starting rotation early 

The starting rotation is going to be one that everyone has their eyes on. Nick Pivetta and Michael King will serve as the one-two punch, which will be followed by Joe Musgrove, who missed all of last year rehabbing from Tommy John surgery. 

After that, this is where things get a bit unclear. Randy Vasquez or JP Sears could be used as the back-end guys, or the club could turn to one of their in-house options. 

The crew over at MLB.com believes RHP Miguel Mednez could be one to force his way to the starting rotation early. 

"The 23-year-old right-hander was added to the 40-man roster this offseason after his breakout 2025 campaign, and his 95-98 mph fastball and mid-80s slider both play like plus pitches. He could factor into San Diego's starting depth this season and push up his timeline with a strong spring."

Mendez spent time in High-A, Single-A, and Double-A, putting together an 8-7 record with a 3.22 ERA across 95 innings of work. While he does not have a ton of experience, he has the stuff that could play at the big league level. 

It will be interesting to see what the front office does with him if he can deliver a fantastic spring.

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