Dodgers-Padres rivalry could heat up after Walker Buehler's comments about San Diego

The San Diego Padres have earned the right to be considered the Los Angeles Dodgers' chief NL West rival over the past few seasons thanks to back-to-back 90-win campaigns, but their lack of postseason success rings hollow in a division that features the Dodgers, Arizona Diamondbacks (World Series participant in 2023), and San Francisco Giants (2010s dyansty).

Still, they at least attempted to ratchet up their pestering when they inked Walker Buehler to a minor league deal prior to spring training. He's hardly the pitcher he was in Los Angeles, but there's enough talent in place for Friars fans to dream.

Following news that Joe Musgrove likely won't be ready for Opening Day, the Padres' frail rotation got even thinner. While that's tough news for San Diego, it's a huge boon for Buehler, who joined the Dodgers' rival because they represented his best chance to start in 2026.

So, what are the odds Dodgers fans actually get to see Buehler take the mound against them this season?

Walker Buehler's comeback attempt reaches breaking point with Padres' struggling pitching staff

The rise and fall of Buehler remains one of the more fascinating events from this era of Dodgers baseball. A pair of All-Star appearances and top-10 Cy Young finishes in 2019 and 2021 gave way to multiple injury-plagued campaigns, with the right-hander missing all of 2023 and mustering a combined 4.75 ERA in 2022 and 2024.

And yet, he still had enough trust from the coaching staff to finish out the final inning of the 2024 World Series, capping an impressive postseason run.

That led to an awful stint with the Red Sox (5.45 ERA, -0.7 fWAR) and career-saving cup of coffee with the Phillies (0.66 ERA in three appearances), but he still had to settle for a minor-league contract with the Padres. While it was surely sweet for him to join the rival of the team that let him walk in free agency, it's clear now that his "decision" to sign in San Diego was more of a coerced necessity; it appears no team other than the pitching-starved Padres was willing to give him a legitimate chance to join the rotation.

If Musgrove's absence does lead to a gig as the No. 5 starter — and he's looked the part this spring, with a 3.23 FIP and 21.4% strikeout rate in two starts — then Buehler can at least hang his hat on another season in the majors.

If revenge is his larger goal, though, then he'll need to pitch well enough to hang around beyond Musgrove's anticipated return; the Dodgers and Padres don't face each other in 2026 until May 18-20 in San Diego. That early-season series could take on a bit more importance if Buehler is lined up to pitch against the reigning champs for just the second time in his career.