ImpactWhile reaching the big leagues for the first time last season as a 26-year-old, Waldron made six starts for San Diego and posted so-so ratios (4.35 ERA, 4.42 xERA, 1.23 WHIP, 11.0 K-BB%) over his 41.1 total innings with the big club. The Padres lost Blake Snell, Seth Lugo and Michael Wacha to free agency this winter, but after bringing in three rotation candidates in Michael King, Randy Vasquez and Jhony Brito from the Yankees in the deal that sent outfielder Juan Soto to The Bronx, Waldron still appeared to enter spring training on the outside looking in for a starting role. However, Waldron seems to have solidified his case for a rotation spot with an outstanding showing thus far in Cactus League play, as he's struck out 12 over 15.1 innings while allowing just two earned runs on 13 hits and no walks. While it may be enough for Waldron to break camp with the club, the right-hander still looks to be more of a name to keep an eye on in NL-only leagues rather than mixed leagues at this juncture, given his lack of pedigree and poor numbers at Triple-A El Paso in 2023 (7.31 ERA, 1.61 WHIP in 92.1 innings).
MARCH 13•ROTOWIRE
