AP PHoto
With the Padres making moves on the minor league level, another veteran arm the Padres have familiarity with could be a low-cost add.
San Diego has made several acquisitions for their starting rotation over the last week, re-signing Michael King and adding Triston McKenzie on a minor league deal.
McKenzie is an arm in need of a rebound, and the Padres are taking the bet that they can help him rebound to his 2022 form. With McKenzie, San Diego would be aiming to get a back-end starter for 2026 and the future. But with the long-term play of McKenzie, the Padres could be searching for a short-term spot starter or a swingman a la Nick Martinez.
Enter right-hander Anthony DeSclafani.
The former Marlin, Red, Giant, and Diamondback is back on the free agent market after returning to the majors for the first time since 2023.
DeSclafani has long been a workhorse back-end starter, as his peak years with the Reds and Giants. His 2021 season was a prime example of this, as in the Giants’ miracle run to a division title and 107 wins, the right-hander made 31 starts. His results were promising, as in 167.2 innings, DeSclafani pitched to a 3.17 ERA, 3.62 FIP, 1.09 WHIP, and 152 strikeouts. That season’s percentile numbers were just as convincing, as he posted a 22.5% strikeout rate, 6.2% walk rate, and 43.3% ground ball rate.
DeSclafani re-signed with the Giants after the 2021 season but ran into injury troubles from 2022 to 2024. He missed time in 2022 due to a subluxed peroneal tendon that required surgery. In 2023, he made only 19 appearances (18 starts) due to a right elbow flexor strain. The injury lingered into 2024, when he was traded to Seattle along with Mitch Haniger for Robbie Ray.
Seattle went on to flip DeSclafani, along with pitcher Justin Topa, prospects Gabriel González and Darren Bowen, along with cash considerations in the Jorge Polanco trade. DeSclafani would not throw a pitch for the Twins, as he underwent right flexor tendon surgery.
New #MNTwins starter Anthony DeSclafani is expected to be ready for the season. Dealt with injuries last two years, shut down last July with right elbow issue. Talks picked up between Twins and Seattle last 24 hours, seeds planted a while ago. pic.twitter.com/QCvsWVS9pw
— Darren Wolfson (@DWolfsonKSTP) January 30, 2024
The right-hander did not return to the mound until 2025 with the Yankees’ organization, where he made five starts to a 4.50 ERA and 3.50 FIP.
DeSclafani had an opt-out clause in his contract, which he used to re-enter free agency. The injury-plagued Diamondbacks signed the right-hander to a Major League deal, and the right-hander immediately stepped into the Snakes’ long relief role. The right-hander struggled out of the gate, allowing five earned runs in his first 7.1 innings across three appearances.
The month of July was much better for the right-hander, as in 16 innings he pitched to a 2.81 ERA (3.95 FIP), and struck out 17 of 64 batters faced (26.5%). He went into the rotation full time after Merrill Kelly was traded, but made three starts before going on the injured list for a month due to a thumb injury. His season ended inauspiciously, as he struggled in two relief appearances upon returning and was promptly designated for assignment.
Anthony DeSclafani, Filthy 84mph Split-Change. ✌️ pic.twitter.com/4O7t9JH3wr
— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) August 7, 2025
Despite the small sample, his walk rate, ground-ball rate, and strikeout rate were in line with his career averages. His FIP sat at over a full run higher than his ERA, though expected ERA and xFIP were more optimistic on his performance (4.12 xERA, 4.59 xFIP). DeSclafani’s results were affected by a career-high 22% home run per fly ball ratio, which could partly be a result of the small sample size. This mark was the highest in his career, even higher than his HR/FB rates when pitching in Cincinnati’s Great American Ballpark. Clearly, the performance drew mixed results, but there are some factors of intrigue that could make DeSclafani a prime Padres target.
Entering 2025, the right-hander added a splitter into his arsenal, whereas he has previously leaned more on a sinker-slider combination.
The new splitter posted solid results, generating +2 run value and a 98 Stuff+ grade. Batters whiffed on the pitch 45.2% of the time, and only hit .077 against the split. DeSclafani used it 20% of the time in 2025, and it could see more use in 2026. The secondaries were DeSclafani’s most used offerings in 2025, as his slider and curveball saw usage rates of 22.1% and 21% respectively.
The curveball remained as sharp as it had been in seasons past, as hitters only batted .156 against it and it generated a 116 Stuff+. The slider was more confounding, as it has always been a tight-spin bullet slider, generating below-average Stuff+ marks. Despite a strong 29.4% whiff rate on the slider, five of the eleven homers he allowed came on the slider. Batters also hit .424 against it despite a .278 xBA.
While his slider got incredibly unlucky results per the expected numbers, the fastball and sinker were the opposite. Both got much better results than the advanced numbers, as the sinker had a .318 xBA and the four-seam a ghastly .407 xBA. Both have higher than average vertical movement compared to the league average, Limiting the fastball usage could be a part of the formula for DeSclafani, as he dropped the fastball use to a combined 36%, a career low.
Pitching backwards would be beneficial for DeSclafani, as his secondaries were his most effective offerings. San Diego has had success with pitchers who lean on their secondaries, like Martin Perez, Nestor Cortes, and Seth Lugo. DeSclafani’s splitter and curveball posted positive results, and while he only threw five sweepers all year, the pitch averaged almost two full feet of gloveside movement. Incorporating the sweeper full-time would provide DeSclafani with another weapon against right-handed batters, who hit .244 with an .860 OPS against him. The splitter could be a platoon-neutral offering in its usage, as he used it primarily against left-handed hitters.
With Anthony DeSclafani having shaken his injury troubles from a few seasons past, he would be the sort of low-cost pitching depth the Padres are looking to add. While it is no certainty that he gets a Major League deal, a minor league contract with an invite to Spring Training and a few early-season opt-out clauses could entice the right-hander to sign with a team in the hunt for postseason contention yet again.
A born and raised San Diegan, Diego Garcia is a lifetime Padres fan and self-proclaimed baseball nerd. Diego wrote about baseball on his own site between 2021-22 before joining the East Village Times team in 2024. He also posts baseball content on his YouTube channel “Stat Nerd Baseball”, creating content around trades, hypotheticals, player analyses, the San Diego Padres, and MLB as a whole.
A 2024 graduate of San Diego State, Diego aims to grow as a writer and content creator in the baseball community.
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