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The Opening Day of the 2025 MLB season is finally here. As the season begins, the National League West will once again be one of the top divisions with the San Diego Padres, Arizona Diamondbacks and reigning World Series champion Los Angeles Dodgers in the fold. The Padres lost some players in free agency, including Ha-Seong Kim and Jurickson Profar, but the roster is still stacked with talent.
There are many questions about the team, and pitcher Dylan Cease's name was in plenty of trade rumors, although he starts the season with the Padres. As Spring Training came to an end, the Padres had to trim down the roster for Opening Day.
And, as always, there were some surprising choices with the final roster decisions.
Padres kept Luis Campusano off the roster
This falls as perhaps the most surprising decision by the Padres. In 2024, Kyle Higashioka was the primary starting catcher for San Diego, but Campusano saw a lot of playing time. The 26-year-old appeared in 91 games for the Padres, hitting eight home runs with 40 RBI and steadily improving throughout the year.
With Higahsioka signing a deal with the Texas Rangers — and the Padres having limited options at the position — it figured Campusano would be on the roster. Instead, the Padres decided to keep veterans Elias Diaz and Martin Maldonado as the two catchers while Campusano goes back to the minor leagues.
Padres manager Mike Shildt explained the difficult decision and credited Maldonado's experience as the main reason for the decision, per FriarWire.
“What went into it. You have one guy in Maldonado with 13 years of experience and who is really adept at running a pitching staff and getting the most out of a staff with pitch calling and game management,” Shildt said. “And then you have Campy, who has done a really good job in all these areas. He’s checked a lot of boxes to be a Major League catcher for a really good club. It just got down to picking one and it was a really tough decision.”
So, once again, Capusano will be in the minors as he awaits his turn to get back to the big leagues.
Tyler Wade misses the cut
In 2024, Tuler Wade was a pivotal role player for the Padres. After spending most of his career with the New York Yankees, Wade joined San Diego and helped in a number of ways. He appeared in 90 games with 138 at-bats, and while his offensive stats didn't jump off the page, he could play a number of different positions on the diamond.
He is primarily a third baseman, and with Manny Machado holding down the hot corner, Wade doesn't get too many starts. Still, he was a key bench piece, and Shildt addressed the decision to send him down to Triple-A for now, per FriarWire.
“That one was really hard,” said Shildt. “Not seeing him in the clubhouse this morning hurt because he’s got such good energy and a way about him. Obviously, he’s a versatile player who has fit into our culture extremely well. It was a tough conversation for Tyler and a tough conversation for me and a tough decision for the organization.”
Logan Gillaspie just misses final bullpen spot
The Padres bullpen has a lot of big pieces, with Robert Suarez and Jeremiah Estrada as the two main ones. However, the final bullpen spot almost went to 27-year-old Logan Gillaspie. He spent the 2022 and 2023 seasons with the Baltimore Orioles, making just 28 appearances.
In 2023, the Padres claimed Gillaspie off waivers after he was released by the Boston Red Sox, and he made nine appearances in 2024 for San Diego. Still, his numbers are underwhelming. In his career, he has a 1-1 record with a 5.02 combined ERA in 113 innings.
In 2024, he pitched nine games for the Padres with a 7.15 ERA in 11.1 innings. Still, Shildt decided to give the right-hander the final bullpen spot, and he revealed why he did so, per FriarWire.
“He continued to do this spring what Logan does and that’s showing up against righties and lefties with multiple pitches. He’s going to compete,” Shildt said. “If we’re going to have a longer-type person, then we need someone who can go in and keep the game where it is at with a group that is gritty and has the ability to come back. And also have someone who can fill those innings without needing to use anyone else. And Logan has shown he can do that.”
Instead, it looks like Omar Cruz earned the last spot despite Shildt saying he felt good about Gillaspie.
