This winter, the San Diego Padres have an opportunity to strike back at their biggest rivals, the Los Angeles Dodgers, through free agency.
The San Diego Padres narrowly missed defeating the Los Angeles Dodgers in the 2024 postseason. They were the only team to truly challenge the Dodgers, who dominated the New York Mets in the NLCS and the New York Yankees in the World Series on their way to a championship.
Now, the Padres face an offseason focused on strengthening their roster to dethrone the Dodgers in 2025. However, the challenge will be steep, as the Dodgers are set to improve simply by getting key players healthy. By Opening Day, Los Angeles expects to have Shohei Ohtani, Dustin May, and Tyler Glasnow fully recovered and ready to contribute on the mound.
How can the Padres address this issue?
Signing Walker Buehler tabbed as Padres ‘Perfect transaction’ this winter
The Padres are in need of a starting pitcher to complete their rotation, ideally one with significant potential. Despite having a strong pitching lineup featuring Dylan Cease, Yu Darvish, and Michael King, the postseason injury to Joe Musgrove has left San Diego searching for an affordable addition.
ESPN insider Jeff Passan recently explored potential moves for various teams, highlighting options that align with their needs. For the Padres, he agreed that adding a pitcher is crucial and pointed to one intriguing candidate: Los Angeles Dodgers World Series hero Walker Buehler.
“Acquiring Sasaki could help address a potential salary crunch, but if that doesn’t work out and they can’t secure a high-profile trade, there are plenty of free agents who could round out the rotation. One, in particular, would only need to travel 120 miles down the 5,” Passan wrote.
Buehler joining San Diego would create quite a storyline, as switching between these bitter rivals would add drama to one of baseball’s most intense rivalries. While many analysts anticipate Buehler returning to the Dodgers in 2025, their recent one-year deal with Dustin May suggests his return is far from certain.
If Buehler does land elsewhere, the Padres could be a fitting destination. Such a move would add a new chapter to the longstanding Padres-Dodgers rivalry. After struggling early last season while recovering from another arm injury, Buehler found his form later in the year, hinting at a promising 2025 campaign.
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