A New Candidate Has Emerged in Opening Day Bullpen Competition for Padres

Gabe Smallson | Mar 12, 2025

May 3, 2024; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; San Diego Padres catcher Luis Campusano (12) and San Diego Padres pitcher Jhony Brito (76) shakes hands after the ninth inning against the Arizona Diamondbacks at Chase Field. Mandatory Credit: Joe Camporeale-Imagn Images / Joe Camporeale-Imagn Images

The San Diego Padres are in the midst of figuring out many key decisions this spring.

With the second catcher spot, the designated hitter position, and the final spot in the pitching rotation up for grabs, talented players on the fringes of the roster are doing whatever they can to be in a solidified position ahead of Opening Day.

Another key decision dictated by what happens with the starting rotation is how the bullpen is going to look at the end of spring training.

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A huge blow to the Padres bullpen is the news that Bryan Hoeing is still nursing his shoulder injury and will be out for about a month to open the season. This essentially led to manager Mike Shildt letting Jhony Brito know he will not be the ball club's fifth starting pitcher, rather a potential long-man in relief.

“It’s a combination (of) circumstance with the club and what he was able to show (in 2024),” Shildt said about Brito. “I thought he took that role and, once we established it, did a nice job with it. And then it’s in partnership with him about where he feels like his career is at and what that looks like. And all those things lead towards a more of a relief role.”

While a member of the New York Yankees in 2023, Brito started 13 games and finished the campaign with a 9-7 record and an ERA of 4.28.

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The term that has been associated with the pitching roster all offseason long is uncertainty. As if the search for the final starter wasn't hard enough, there are two more spots in the bullpen being fought for by four arms.

Alek Jacob, newly acquired Ron Marinaccio, and left-handers Omar Cruz and Tom Cosgrove now find themselves competing for those two slots.

As Brito prepares to pitch relief once again, southpaw and KBO Cy Young award-equivalent winner Kyle Hart, Stephen Kolek, Randy Vasquez, and Matt Waldron are all more-than-capable arms to occupy a place in the rotation, but only time will tell who cracks the coveted fifth spot as the rest will join the race in the bullpen.

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