As is the case with plenty of teams around baseball in he buyer’s market, the San Diego Padres are looking for help in their starting rotation. With Michael King out with an injury and Yu Darvish steadily returning to the mound, the Padres need to consider adding a starter.
Zachary D. Rymer of Bleacher Report linked the Padres to a starter. Rymer called the Padres a “favorite” to land Boston Red Sox starting pitcher Walker Buehler at the trade deadline. With the Red Sox open to moving their $21 million starter, the Padres could go all-in and acquire another veteran starter with ample postseason experience.
“Plus, joining up with the Padres might light a bigger fire under Buehler than other teams could expect.” Rymer wrote. “It would mean six chances to take on the Dodgers, and he would have a right to have a chip on his shoulder about those.”
While adding another starter should be something A.J. Preller and company strongly consider, Buehler might not be the perfect fit. Although Rymer points out Buehler has a 2.67 ERA at Petco Park, the former Los Angeles Dodgers starter might not get back to his old self based on what he’s done in 2025.
Across his 13 starts in 2025, Buehler for the Red Sox has a 6.29 ERA and -1.2 WAR. Buehler has struggled this season, and especially in the past few starts. Over the past five starts for Buehler, he has a 10.64 ERA, and has allowed seven home runs and 16 walks while striking out just 20 in 22 innings of work.
While there are a lot of red flags for Buehler, he has shown to be a solid pitcher still. Through his first eight starts of the year, he had a 3.95 ERA and a 36-13 strikeout-to-walk ratio.
Also, across his 18 starts in the postseason and one relief appearance to close out the 2025 World Series for the Dodgers, Buehler has a 3.04 ERA. In his eight-year MLB career, Buehler has a 3.69 ERA and has two top-ten Cy Young finishes in 2019 and 2021.
Even if his best stuff is behind him, Buehler still presents a worthwhile pitcher to target for the Padres. If he can rediscover his stuff in San Diego, the Padres could add a much-needed starter with postseason experience to the rotation.
