The Padres have picked up some rotation depth this offseason with Walker Buehler, Griffin Canning, and German Marquez, but let’s be honest – none of them replace what Dylan Cease brought to the table. That’s where a veteran arm still sitting in free agency could make sense.
Fansided’s Zachary Rotman thinks San Diego could be a dark horse for Max Scherzer, and it’s not as crazy as it sounds. The three-time Cy Young winner is waiting for the right contending situation, and he could provide exactly the kind of October experience this Padres team needs.
“A team like the San Diego Padres certainly could use him, though. The Padres have signed German Marquez, Griffin Canning and even Walker Buehler recently, hoping to add depth to a rotation full of question marks. But even at 41 years of age, Scherzer offers more reliability than all three of those arms. You can never have enough starting pitching, and San Diego sure could use more of it if they hope to get back to the postseason.”
Sure, Scherzer’s 2024 numbers weren’t pretty – 5-5 record with a 5.19 ERA over 85 innings. But here’s what matters: when October rolled around, Mad Max showed up. That’s exactly what you want from a back-end starter on a team with playoff aspirations.
The injuries were clearly an issue during the regular season, but Scherzer’s postseason track record speaks for itself. He’s been there, done that, and knows how to pitch when everything’s on the line.
From a financial standpoint, this makes even more sense. Spotrac projects Scherzer to land a one-year, $8.9 million deal – hardly a budget-breaker for an organization that’s been more careful with spending lately.
What makes this particularly intriguing is the NL West landscape. The Dodgers are still the Dodgers, the Diamondbacks aren’t going anywhere, and even the Giants could be frisky. You need every edge you can get in that division.
The way I see it, Scherzer gives them something their other recent additions don’t: proven playoff performance. Buehler has the postseason pedigree but he’s coming off major injuries. Marquez and Canning are solid pieces, but neither has Scherzer’s October resume.
At 41, Scherzer isn’t going to give you 200 innings. But 120-140 quality frames from a guy who turns into a different pitcher when the stakes rise? That’s worth considering, especially at that projected price point.
The Padres rotation still has plenty of question marks heading into 2025. Adding a future Hall of Famer – even one at the tail end of his career – could be the move that puts them over the top in what’s shaping up to be another brutal NL West race.
