Walker Buehler and the uneasy reset: a former Dodgers finisher tries to become the Padres’ answer

PEORIA, Ariz. — In a quiet corner of the Padres’ spring complex earlier this month, walker buehler stood in the in-between: no longer the familiar figure in Dodgers blue, not yet a finished product in Padres brown and gold. He answered questions about change the way pitchers often do—careful, measured—while the season waited just beyond the last days of camp.

Not long ago, Walker Buehler’s baseball life ended a chapter in the most dramatic way possible: closing out the 2024 World Series for the Dodgers with a flourish, striking out the final two batters he faced and spreading his arms wide as the last out landed. Now, after signing a minor league deal with San Diego last month and breaking camp with the club, the next chapter begins with a different uniform, the same division, and a straightforward personal mission: return to form.

What is Walker Buehler trying to prove in San Diego right now?

Walker Buehler is trying to show that a down year does not define him—and that he can stabilize a rotation that enters the season with question marks. Coming off a disappointing 2025, when he logged a 4. 93 ERA between stints with the Boston Red Sox and Philadelphia Phillies, the 31-year-old did enough this spring to earn a place in the Padres’ rotation as the fourth starter.

His spring offered both encouragement and a reminder of how thin the margin can be. He posted a 3. 09 ERA across 11 2/3 innings in his first three Cactus League starts, then struggled in his final tune-up, giving up seven runs and 11 hits in 3 1/3 innings against the Arizona Diamondbacks last week.

“Not my best, ” Buehler said. “But at the end of the day, we’re trying to get out of here healthy and feeling good about yourself…. I feel like I’m in a better spot than I had been in a long time and a lot of trust in the process of how we do things around here. ”

For the Padres, the stakes are both immediate and structural. The rotation picture shifted with Yu Darvish missing the season after undergoing elbow surgery and landing on the restricted list while he contemplates his future. Dylan Cease signed a seven-year, $210-million deal with the Toronto Blue Jays. Joe Musgrove is still working his way back from Tommy John surgery. In that environment, a pitcher with Buehler’s track record and present-day need for reinvention becomes more than a name—he becomes a bet.

Why did Walker Buehler choose the Padres after bouncing between teams?

Walker Buehler acknowledged the strangeness that may come with being in the same division as the franchise where he won two World Series rings, but he also suggested the emotional math has changed with time and turnover.

“We’ll see, ” Buehler said when asked whether it will be strange. “Obviously, once we get into the season, we’ll know more. But yeah, I mean, largely the guys that I came up with aren’t there anymore, but obviously I played with a lot of those guys and had a lot of fun in ’24 with a ton of them, so always happy to see them have success, but now it’s a little bit different situation. ”

There were other options. Returning to Philadelphia, where he finished 2025, was on the table. But Buehler framed his decision less as an escape and more as a fit—personal and competitive.

“Yeah, it just wasn’t as intriguing or kind of as good an option for me personally, ” Buehler said of Philadelphia. “Obviously, I enjoyed my time there, and I really respect a lot of those guys. ”

Back in Southern California, he saw a path: a chance to pitch well, a chance to earn a rotation spot, and a chance to do it inside a team environment that expects to matter in October.

“We felt in the conversations [that] there was an opportunity to come in and pitch well, and hopefully get a spot in the rotation, and I feel like I’ve done that for the most part, ” Buehler said. “Obviously, we have a lot of talent and playoff expectations, and things like that, so kind of a good fit for me in both ways. ”

How do the Padres view Walker Buehler inside a rotation full of uncertainty?

The Padres are not disguising what they want: a version of Buehler that resembles the pitcher he once was, now deployed against everyone else. Padres manager Craig Stammen put it in blunt baseball terms—turning an old problem into a new weapon.

“Our hope is that he kind of returns to who he’s been in the past, ” Stammen said. “And that we have somebody that was a former All-Star pitcher, someone that was a thorn in our side as the Padres, and becomes a thorn in the side for other people. ”

Stammen also pointed to how the fit is being built day by day, crediting Buehler’s work with Padres pitching coach Ruben Niebla. “He came in and was open to new ideas, open to Ruben’s coaching, ” Stammen said, describing an openness that matters for a pitcher trying to translate past success into present reliability.

That process now turns from spring repetition to regular-season consequence. Buehler is scheduled to pitch Monday against the San Francisco Giants at Petco Park, a matchup that drops him immediately into the NL West grind.

In the broader division picture, the Padres know the clearest path to another postseason runs through how they handle their familiar rivals. Buehler, plenty familiar with the NL West from years on the other side, described a shift in perspective that is both simple and loaded with subtext.

“I remember being on the other side of it and how big of a threat San Diego has been, ” Buehler said. “Being in this uniform, (I’m) hoping to kind of add to that. (The Dodgers have) had a ton of success and have done a lot of things really well, but I’m excited about what we have here as well. Looking forward to a good year. ”

It is the language of a veteran stepping into a rivalry without pretending it doesn’t exist—while also insisting the present matters more than the past.

Image caption (alt text): walker buehler speaks at the Padres’ spring training complex in Peoria, Arizona, as he prepares to open the season in San Diego’s rotation.

Back in Peoria, the scene is still spare: a pitcher between versions of himself, a new clubhouse still learning his rhythms, and a season that will not wait for anyone to feel settled. When Walker Buehler takes the mound Monday night at Petco Park (ET), the question won’t be about nostalgia for a last out in a different uniform—it will be whether walker buehler can turn this uneasy reset into something the Padres can trust.