The San Diego Padres final roster decisions are days away but the opt-out clauses for two veterans provided some early decision-making for the Padres. Both starter Walker Buehler and infielder Ty France had to be placed on the 40-man roster today or risk being lost to another team.
Both Buehler and France were signed to minor league deals during the off-season and due to their years of service, they have opt-out clauses in their contracts. Those clauses kick in at various stages during the season, allowing them to be free agents again if they are not on the major league roster. The first opt-out for both was March 21.
Stiff competition and an injury
While it seemed obvious that Buehler was safely entrenched in the rotation after his past two starts, France was not as much of a guarantee. He had close competition with Jose Miranda after it became clear that utility player Sung-Mun Song was not healthy enough to start the season with the Padres.
With France on the roster, Miranda can be sent to Triple-A and his first opt-out is not until later in the season (June 1). The difficulty will arise when Song is ready to come off the IL. France can only be optioned if he agrees, otherwise he can become a free agent again and sign with any team.
This is a return for France to the team that drafted and developed him through its system. He made his major league debut in 2019 and was traded at the deadline during the pandemic season of 2020. He has played for the Seattle Mariners, Cincinnati Reds, Minnesota Twins and late last season, for the Toronto Blue Jays. He received a Gold Glove at first base last season and played in the World Series.
Walker Buehler is healthy again
Buehler has shown that he can pitch with the diminished velocity on his fastball after his second Tommy John surgery. He has a seven-pitch mix with a four-seam fastball that has topped out at 94 mph. In his three starts, he has a 3.09 ERA with four walks and 13 strikeouts while not allowing a home run.
He has stated in interviews that the pain in his elbow went away right before spring camp began and that has enabled him to throw his sweeper again as well as refining his other off-speed offerings. He has acknowledged that his fastball will never again reach the velocity of the past but he can still be an effective starter without it.
While Joe Musgrove is on the IL and continuing the rehab from his own Tommy John surgery, Buehler will assume the No. 4 spot in the rotation while other pitchers continue to compete for the last spot.
Manager Craig Stammen challenged starter Randy Vasquez at the beginning of camp to establish his spot in the rotation but that seemed settled fairly early when Vasquez showed that he has held onto the velocity gain of late last season and has been much more disciplined in his delivery with his appearances this spring.
Buehler joins Michael King, Nick Pivetta, Randy Vaquez and, eventually, Joe Musgrove as part of the initial five-man rotation. If Germán Márquez wins the last spot that is currently available, the Padres will have another roster dilemma to deal with as Márquez has a major league contract and can’t be optioned without his agreement. The same is true of Buehler with his veteran status.
Padres manager Craig Stammen commented in his morning media scrum on the organization’s decision to put both players on the roster.
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