The San Diego Padres have had one of the best overall pitching staffs in the NL, giving up just 470 runs through 107 games.
Despite being third in the NL West, the team has stayed firmly in the Wild Card hunt.
The Padres made a move to help bolster their team. On Wednesday, the Padres announced they have reinstated reliever Jeremiah Estrada from the 15-day injured list. In a corresponding move, they have designated right-hander Matt Waldron for assignment.
Estrada has been a crucial piece of the Padres bullpen in the past couple of years, but has pitched in just 21 games this season with a 3.48 ERA.
Waldron, however, has been a liability in the last couple of years.
What Happened to San Diego Padres Pitcher Matt Waldron?
Cleveland drafted Waldron in the 18th round of the 2019 MLB Draft out of the University of Nebraska. Cleveland would trade him as a player to be named later to the Padres, along with Greg Allen and Mike Clevinger.
He once seemed like a potential back-end of the rotation starter. Between the 2023 and 2024 seasons, he pitched to a 4.79 ERA. While he only struck out 20.6% of batters, he walked just 6.5%.
Waldron’s main pitch that limited hard contact was his knuckleball, one of the only players to throw one in this generation of baseball.
He spent most of 2025 in the minors, and his work there wasn’t great. In 18 starts, he had a 6.67 ERA. This year, it’s been more of the same. In 10 games (three starts), Waldron has pitched to a 7.16 ERA, necessitating the release.
Another team may find his pitching arsenal interesting enough to trade for. However, it may not be on a contending team.
Since Waldron was DFA’d, it may not necessarily be the end of the road for him with San Diego. However, he must first clear waivers.
What’s Next for the Team?
The Padres have won four consecutive games and will take on the Colorado Rockies for Game 3 of their three-game set.
After that, they will take on the San Francisco Giants for a four-game weekend series. With such an easy schedule leading up to the Trade Deadline, the Padres could very well become buyers.
So what do they need?
They more than likely don’t need a reliever with Mason Miller, Adrián Morejón and others leading a dominant bullpen.
However, another starter or two would be ideal. Outside of Michael King, the Padres do not have a starter with a 0.5 or higher bWAR. And even King has been shaky at times this year.
The Padres desperately need a bat to pair with the surging Manny Machado and Fernando Tatis Jr. They have scored just 4.2 runs per game at this juncture of the season, the fourth-lowest in the National League.
While San Diego is by no means a World Series contender with their current roster, they are two games back from the third Wild Card spot, meaning the playoffs are achievable.
If the Padres can upgrade at the Trade Deadline, Craig Stammen could have a shot at making the playoffs in his first season as skipper.
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