How did San Diego Padres President of Baseball Operations and General Manager A.J. Preller celebrate his new multi-year contract extension? By continuing to add to the 2026 roster.
Kevin Acee of the San Diego Union-Tribune posted on social media that San Diego and right-hander Walker Buehler agreed to a minor-league contract, Monday. The post contained a link to his article for the U-T.
Buehler was a first-round pick of the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2015 and broke into the big leagues with the club in 2017. Buehler pitched for the Dodgers until 2024 and left via free agency. He spent the 2025 season with the Boston Red Sox and Philadelphia Phillies.
Buehler holds a career record of 57-29 with a 3.52 ERA. He has amassed 846 strikeouts over 839.2 innings pitched. Buehler finished the 2025 season with a combined record of 10-7 with a 4.93 ERA with 92 strikeouts in 126.0 innings pitched.
The Padres have added multiple arms since Saturday with Griffin Canning, German Marquez and now Buehler being added to the mix for a backend of the rotation. The three additions will compete with JP Sears, Kyle Hart, Matt Waldron, Marco Gonzales and Triston McKenzie throughout Spring Training for one of the final rotation spots. Randy Vasquez has been the presumed No. 4 starter for much of the offseason, but with the added competition he will have to earn it.
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