The Padres already got a meaningful return from Walker Buehler, and now they have to decide how far they want to go to keep him around.
Buehler’s time in San Diego helped rebuild his value, and that has shifted the conversation from bargain pickup to potential multiyear deal. A reunion is still in play, but the market has a say now, and his 2026 rebound has put him in position to draw stronger offers.
The case for bringing him back starts with the simple fact that he stayed on the mound. Buehler made 32 starts and logged 153 2/3 innings, his heaviest workload since 2021. For a pitcher trying to reestablish himself, that kind of durability matters.
Still, the comeback came with limits. His ERA went from 4.93 to 4.63, and his WHIP dropped from 1.52 to 1.35.
Those are real gains. His 4.51 FIP and the fact that he averaged fewer than five innings per start are also part of the picture, and they give the Padres plenty to consider before committing to another season.
There’s a case for a modest multiyear agreement, and the Padres would be reasonable to explore it. They have several rotation spots to fill this offseason, and Buehler did give them a pitcher who took the ball every turn. But any offer needs to reflect who he was, not just what he once was.
The bigger issue for San Diego is where Buehler fits relative to everything else on the winter to-do list. There’s room for him in the rotation, but not before the club sees what else is out there. Bringing him back would solve one opening, yet it should not stop the Padres from chasing a starter with a stronger recent track record of working deeper into games.
That matters because the innings total only tells part of the story. Showing up every fifth day is one thing.
Getting through the sixth is another. Buehler averaged roughly 4.8 innings per start, and too many short outings can leave the bullpen carrying a heavy load.
Just ask Adrian Morejon.
That’s why an upgrade belongs ahead of a reunion on the offseason checklist. The Padres need to give their relief corps some breathing room and give their manager a better chance to reach the late innings without burning through too many of his best arms.
At the same time, San Diego can’t let the Buehler decision drift. It has seen how a rotation stopgap can turn into a more expensive problem if negotiations run too long. The club should decide its ceiling in guaranteed money and years before the talks pick up speed.
And if the Padres do move on, they need real alternatives lined up. Walking away from Buehler would be much harder to justify if the fallback plan is just hoping another cheap signing works out. But if the front office believes it can find similar production elsewhere, then exploring another affordable option is fair game.
Buehler will chase the best deal he can find. The Padres, meanwhile, have to decide how much faith they have in what he showed and how much they’re willing to pay for it.
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The debate, of course, is whether the rest of the roster can catch up to the ambition. San Diego still has real questions in the pitching rotation and some uncertainty in the lineup, which is why a lofty ranking can feel both flattering and unfinished at the same time. Leitchs list also included the Tampa Bay Rays, Seattle Mariners, Toronto Blue Jays and New York Mets near the top, but for Padres fans the more interesting part is what comes next: whether this is the kind of group that can justify the optimism, or just another version of a team that looks dangerous on paper and still needs more to break through. [Read more 🡒]