SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — The Padres, particularly until Fernando Tatis Jr. returns, expect their pitching staff to carry much of the team’s burden in the upcoming season.
Nineteen months ago, they paid handsomely to acquire Mike Clevinger. Some four months later, they paid handsomely to acquire Blake Snell, Yu Darvish and Joe Musgrove. Earlier this month, they finalized a four-year, $25.5 million contract with Nick Martínez. These five pitchers will combine to make more than $50 million in 2022. Tatis, the $340 million shortstop, could miss half or more of the season after undergoing surgery to repair a fractured wrist. The Padres, perhaps financially hamstrung, will need to extract all the value they can get.
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On Thursday, manager Bob Melvin announced that Darvish, the most accomplished member of the group, will be the Padres’ Opening Day starter for the second consecutive year. He then hinted that Musgrove, San Diego’s most recently successful starter, will be lined up to pitch in the April 14 home opener.
“That’s not a difficult call,” Melvin said of Darvish’s assignment. “The difficult part is what Joe accomplished last year too, but I’m hoping there’s a good reward for him as we go along.”
The going along could be quite interesting. In recent days, Melvin has frequently mentioned he cannot predict how certain parts of the roster will shake out. The uncertainty extends to multiple key areas, including a starting rotation billed as the Padres’ greatest strength. Darvish and Musgrove should form a solid backbone, but at the moment, they are surrounded by unknowns. An abbreviated spring training has increased the odds of chaos.
On Tuesday, pitching in a major-league contest for the first time in 17 months, Clevinger recorded only five outs while surrendering eight runs. The right-hander, who had his second Tommy John surgery in 2020, attributed a disappointing performance to rust and overexcitement, as did the Padres.
On Wednesday, Martínez submitted another solid Cactus League outing with his new club, and the Padres reiterated their belief that he is significantly improved after he spent four seasons pitching in Japan. They will not know for certain, though, until the real games begin.
And on Thursday, in his Cactus League debut and an 8-2 loss to the Diamondbacks, Snell recorded only four outs while throwing 25 of 45 pitches for balls. The left-hander, citing an unpredictable end to the MLB lockout, entered camp less built-up than his fellow starters. He has emphasized the length of the regular season and the knowledge of his own body. But, like with Clevinger, his spring debut did not engender optimism for a strong beginning. He attributed a disappointing performance to overexcitement, as did the Padres.
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“I think it’s similar to Clev,” Melvin said. “You know, you’re out on the mound, it’s a late start to getting out on the mound and it didn’t go how you wanted it to. So, next time is about improving on it. And I think both of them definitely will.”
“I haven’t thrown in games as much, so you can use that against me,” Snell said, “but also you can use it as, I’ve also watched a lot of games, I’ve learned, I’ve prepared, I’ve been doing all the same things. … I’ve just got to attack the zone, fill it up, stop missing in the same spot with all my pitches down. Get it up, trust that it’s nasty, makes the fastball play better — I’ll take that. I’m in a way better place than I was last year when I first got here.”
The Padres, collectively, have made a similar claim. Last year, their starting rotation was the most disappointing in the league. Out of desperation, they eventually gave starts to Jake Arrieta and Vince Velasquez.
This spring, they believe they are in a way better place. Clevinger is unofficially back. Darvish seems to be past the nagging injuries that weighed him down in the second half. Martínez is here. Pitching prospect MacKenzie Gore looks resurgent. Former prospects Chris Paddack and Ryan Weathers are at least valuable depth starters who have been mentioned in trade talks.
But the Padres already have had to get creative. So far, it is more out of necessity than desperation.
On Thursday, for example, Paddack took the mound in the fourth inning, not the first. The career-long starter had gotten a heads-up a couple of days in advance. He had readily agreed to the plan. He wound up allowing three runs, one earned, in three innings. With Clevinger and Snell still easing into their buildup, the Padres expect Paddack or another starter to provide a specific kind of April relief.
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“Piggybacks are definitely a thing now,” Paddack said.
The precise order of the rotation is not yet determined, but here is one potential setup: After Darvish’s Opening Day turn, Clevinger and the bullpen cover the next game. Musgrove pitches the following day. Snell starts the day after that, with Paddack or another starter piggybacking. Martínez rounds out the group of five, though Melvin has not yet eliminated the possibility of a sixth starter, at least early on.
Other options are still on the table, including one that would involve subtraction. The Padres, desperate for outfield help, have discussed Paddack and Weathers with other clubs. But team and league sources Thursday said the asking price on Pirates star Bryan Reynolds, one longtime target, remains prohibitive. Snell’s performance, coming two days after Clevinger’s, provided another reason for the Padres to hesitate before dealing any starting pitching.
There are, of course, reasons for optimism. Robert Suarez, for example, has made a decent case to fill the Padres’ void at closer. Dinelson Lamet, once a tantalizing starter, has emerged as another candidate. On Thursday, the right-hander fired a breezy, scoreless inning amid a sloppy loss for San Diego.
Meanwhile, No. 1 prospect CJ Abrams committed a throwing error but also supplied another hard hit, continuing to impress the organization with his desire and production. The Padres will not be terrified if they opt to put him on their Opening Day roster. He has held his own this month and it might be a necessity, given a lack of other options. Tatis has resumed limited workouts at the Peoria Sports Complex, but he could miss half the season. Questions about the offense abound.
The same could be said of several pitchers, but it is still spring training. Until Tatis returns, the Padres expect their staff may have to shoulder the load.
“It’s definitely a tough loss not having him at the beginning of the season,” Paddack said. “But we talked about … this year, to get to where we want to get to, it’s going to take all 60, 70 guys on the depth chart. And the good teams usually have that depth.”
(Photo: Mark J. Rebilas / USA Today)
