Padres add ex-Dodger Walker Buehler to starting rotation competition
The San Diego Padres have agreed to terms on a minor-league deal with right-hander Walker Buehler, the club announced on Feb. 16, 2026 (ET). Once a frontline starter, Buehler arrives in camp as a reclamation candidate and non-roster invitee, set to compete for one of the club's remaining rotation spots.
What Buehler brings and recent performance
At 31, Buehler still carries the résumé of a top-tier pitcher: dominant stretches earlier in his career, postseason pedigree and the track record of someone who can turn into a mid-rotation or swingman piece if health and stuff align. That said, the last several seasons have been uneven. He missed the 2023 season after undergoing a second Tommy John surgery and has not fully regained the form he showed from 2017–22, when he posted a 3. 02 ERA over his first six big-league seasons.
In 2024 Buehler’s regular season was a struggle — a 5. 38 ERA across 16 starts (75 1/3 innings) — yet he produced a notable postseason outing, throwing five shutout innings in a World Series start and later recording the final three outs of the series in relief. A one-year, $21. 05 million deal the following offseason did not restore his pre-surgery dominance; he was released in August after a 5. 45 ERA in 112 1/3 innings over 22 starts and a relief appearance, then finished the season with another team, allowing one run in 13 2/3 innings across two starts and a relief outing.
Underlying metrics point to the challenges: velocity and command issues since returning from the August 2022 procedure have driven a decline in strikeout rate from roughly 27% earlier in his career to 17. 2%, while his walk rate has climbed from about 6. 3% to 9. 8%. Those trends help explain why Buehler is coming to San Diego on a non-roster pact rather than a guaranteed big-league contract.
Where he fits in the Padres' rotation picture
The Padres enter Spring Training with several established pieces presumed to open the season in the rotation. That reality leaves what appears to be a single real opening for an additional starter, a spot that has attracted multiple veterans and depth arms. Buehler will join a crowded competition that includes Matt Waldron, Triston McKenzie, Germán Márquez and left-handers JP Sears and Marco Gonzales among those vying for back-end roles.
Because Buehler is a non-roster invitee, he starts camp behind some veterans on the 40-man roster, but he still has upside that could force the issue. He has historically had success against San Diego — a 7-1 record with a 1. 67 ERA in 13 starts — which gives him a familiarity advantage. For the Padres, he represents a low-cost, high-upside swing for a team adding pitching depth and lottery-ticket reclamation projects in hopes one emerges as a useful major-league arm.
Outlook and what to watch in camp
The spring will center on two questions: can Buehler restore enough velocity and command to miss bats consistently, and will he remain healthy over a workload that might need careful management? Expect the club to evaluate him for both rotation and bullpen roles; if he can re-establish strikeout ability and reduce walks, he could push for a fifth-starter job or serve as a depth swingman early in the season.
Pitching mechanics, fastball velocity readings, and early Grapefruit League lineups will offer the clearest early indicators. For now, the signing is a pragmatic gamble: a veteran with top-of-rotation pedigree when healthy, now attempting to convert that pedigree into practical value for a club that has prioritized adding experienced arms to its depth chart.
