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The San Diego Padres want to compete in 2025. Of course, making a run at the National League West title will be a challenge given the presence of the Los Angeles Dodgers, who feature a true super-team. Nevertheless, this Padres team will be an interesting ball club to follow throughout the 2025 campaign.
San Diego has plenty of stars on the roster, however, do they have enough depth to truly make noise in the postseason conversation? Without further ado, let's take a look at two Padres spring training position battles worth watching before the 2025 season.
Who will be the Padres' catchers?
The Padres have catching depth, but who will be the starter? And will San Diego enter the season with two or three total backstops on the roster?
According to MLB.com, the Padres have three catchers listed on the depth chart. The candidates, Elias Diaz, Luis Campusano and Brett Sullivan, could all impact the team in 2025. Martin Maldonado could also make things especially intriguing, as he landed a non-roster contract with the Padres during the offseason.
The starting catcher competition will likely focus on Diaz and Campusano.
Diaz, 34, earned his first All-Star selection in 2023 with the Colorado Rockies. He offers respectable offensive prowess as a catcher, and he is also capable of leading a pitching staff. Diaz's veteran presence is something San Diego will take into account as well.
Campusano, meanwhile, is a 26-year-old catcher. He appeared in a career-high 91 games last season. Although he recorded lackluster numbers for the most part, as Campusano finished the season with a .642 OPS, he does offer some potential. The Padres may consider making him their catcher of the future if he takes a step forward in 2025.
The expectation is that both players will make the big league roster out of spring training, but the Padres may consider Sullivan and Maldonado as well.
San Diego's starting pitching rotation
The Padres feature no shortage of starting pitching candidates. San Diego attempted to sign Roki Sasaki during the offseason, but their failure to do so leaves the door open for a starting pitching competition in spring training.
It is worth noting that Dylan Cease has been mentioned as a possible trade candidate. Assuming he does not get traded, Cease will start games for San Diego in 2025. Additionally, Yu Darvish is guaranteed to be in the rotation.
Which other pitches will earn rotation spots, though?
Michael King enjoyed a breakout season (as a starter) in 2024. As a result, he is a lock for the rotation. That leaves uncertainty around the No. 4 and 5 spots on the pitching staff.
Nick Pivetta, Kyle Hart, Matt Waldron and Randy Vasquez are among the candidates for the two remaining rotation spots. There will be a number of pitchers set to compete for the final two roles in San Diego's 2025 rotation.
Pivetta seems like a strong candidate, but he has been rather inconsistent over the years. In fact, the lowest ERA he has recorded since 2021 is 4.04, and it is worth mentioning that Pivetta has experience in the bullpen.
The Padres have plenty of options without question. San Diego's starting pitching battle will probably be the team's most intriguing competition of spring training.
