The San Diego Padres sent shock waves through Major League Baseball when they made two box office appearances last week. The Padres acquired the starting pitchers Blake Snell of the Tampa Bay Rays and Yu Darvish of the Chicago Cubs within 24 hours. The additions were not only the biggest moves of a quiet off-season so far, but it also helped establish San Diego’s rotation as one of the best in the game. Even without Mike Clevinger, who will miss 2021 while undergoing a Tommy John surgery, San Diego has an impressive upheaval full upside down.
With Snell and Darvish, the Padres strengthened their rotation and confirmed their status as serious 2021 World Series contenders. So much so that the club has the third best chance of winning the 2021 World Series. Only the division fight and defending champion, Los Angeles Dodgers and New York Yankees, have better chances than the calendar to turn to 2021. The Padres are serious about the dispute of the World Series in 2021 after ending a 14-year drought after the 2020 season.
Although we have just entered a new year and most of the top deals for free agent switches remain unsigned, we thought this would be a good time to look again at the best rotations in baseball after San Diego’s recent trade. Let’s dive into the rankings.
1. RHP Max Scherzer
2. LHP Patrick Corbin
RHP Stephen Strasburg
RHP Erick Fedde
5. RHP Joe Ross
The 2019 World Series champion, Washington Nationals, had a bit of the championship in 2020, but the rotation is expected to recover in 2021. Stephen Strasburg is on track for spring training after undergoing surgery for carpal tunnel neuritis in late August. Along with Strasburg, Max Scherzer and Patrick Corbin should also help make the Nats rotation one of the best in baseball. Right-handers Erick Fedde and Joe Ross will be the no. 4 and 5 places have to trade in, but it will not hurt if the Nationals make a move to ensure an extra depth for the back half of their turn.
1. LHP Max Fried
RHP Charlie Morton
RHP Ian Anderson
LHP Drew Smyly
RHP Kyle Wright
* Ace Mike Soroka is recovering from an Achilles injury and is expected to return to action early in the 2021 season.
The Atlanta Braves have been hit hard this past season when it comes to play. Injuries and unreliability hampered their rotation, but leftist Max Fried and newcomer Ian Anderson both impressed. Atlanta did not take long this off-season to address their weakness, adding veteran All-Star starting lineup Charlie Morton and left-hander Drew Smyly to regain rotation depth. Morton and Smyly will join returning Mike Soroka (Achilles), Kyle Wright, Fried and Anderson. Some other internal options at this stage could be Touki Toussaint, Sean Newcomb, Bryse Wilson and Huascar Ynoa.
3. Cleveland
RHP Shane Bieber
RHP Carlos Carrasco
RHP Zach Plesac
4. RHP Aaron Civale
5. RHP Triston McKenzie
Despite the trade of Mike Clevinger by last year’s deadline, Cleveland still boasts a very impressive rotation. Not only were Cleveland entrees dominant in 2020, they were historically good. The club’s ace, Shane Bieber, won the American League Cy Young in 2020 and will take the lead in 2021 with veteran right-hand man Carlos Carrasco and youngsters Zach Plesac (turns 26 in January), Aaron Civale (25) and Triston McKenzie (23) fills in the rest of the rotation.
2. Dodgers
1. LHP Clayton Kershaw
RHP Walker Buehler
LHP Julio Urias
4. LHP David Price
5. RHP Dustin May
Defending champion Dodgers will make a dominant turn in 2021. Veteran Clayton Kershaw will enter the final year of a three-year extension he joined the club in 2018 and Walker Buehler sits at No. 2 spot as the two true baits. will look to continue to anchor the LA rotation. Lefty David Price, who opted out of the 2020 season due to COVID-19 concerns, has indicated that he plans to play next season. Price, 35, is the figure to bolster the starting rotation as and when he makes his Dodgers debut next season. The young men Julio Urias (24) and Dustin May (23) will both try to cement themselves in the rotation, and Tony Gonsolin should offer extra depth. Josiah Gray, the leading right-hand man, could also start in 2021 and become an appetizer.
1. Padres
1. RHP Yu Darvish
2. LHP Blake Snell
RHP Dinelson Lamet
4. RHP Chris Paddack
5. LHP Adrian Morejon
From now on, the Padres will get the best spot for the best rotation in baseball. With their upgraded rotation, the Padres will be a legal threat to the Dodgers in the National League West. The San Diego entrees are a wonderful blend of veterans and young pitcher staff. Of course, like every rotation, most of the success will depend on their new leads staying healthy. Both Yu Darvish and Blake Snell have recent injuries in their resume. Right-hander Dinelson Lamet will also return from a right biceps injury that cut short his 2020 season. The top prospect MacKenzie Gore is also included in the Padres rotation depth. The lefty is not far from his MLB debut, and it will probably happen sometime in the coming season.
Honorable mentions: White Sox, Reds, Mets