San Diego Padres DVOA, Stats, & MLB Rankings

San Diego Padres starting pitcher Yu Darvish only lasted 3 2/3 innings in a no-decision in Wednesday's Opening Day contest versus the Los Angeles Dodgers in Seoul, South Korea. The veteran allowed two hits, one unearned run, three walks and struck out three on the day. Darvish probably could have gone longer, but the Padres defense did not do him any favors. Darvish had good results in the Cactus League this spring with a 2.89 ERA in three starts, but is coming off one his worst careers in the big leagues with a 4.56 ERA in 2023. Despite the ERA, his numbers were on par for the rest of his career. The 37-year-old isn't getting any younger, but he should remain a solid option for managers in the middle of their rotation.

Pittsburgh Pirates starting pitcher Martin Perez continued his impressive spring during Monday's game against the Philadelphia Phillies. The left-hander struck out eight batters over five innings of work during Monday's victory. It's worth noting that Perez never struck out eight hitters during a single start last season. His velocity was down during this game and he was still extremely effective. Perez has allowed one earned run in 12 innings this season. Perez probably won't be a reliable 12-team fantasy option, but could still be worth a look in deep leagues.

San Diego Padres infielder Ha-Seong Kim went 2-for-4 with a pair of two-run homers in Sunday's 5-4 win over the LG Twins in Korea. This was an extra special one for Kim, who was playing in the stadium he used to call home when he played in the KBO. Fantasy managers will hope that his homecoming continues to be a good one when they open the season against the Los Angeles Dodgers in Korea on March 20. Kim is being taken at an ADP of 85 in fantasy drafts and should provide plenty of speed at his cost while knocking out the occasional homer.

San Diego Padres right-hander Dylan Cease will make his debut with the team as the starter in the second exhibition game on Monday against the LG Twins after Jhony Brito starts the first game on Sunday. Manager Mike Shildt said Cease will probably aim for two to three innings in that start. The Padres made an unexpected spring splash when they acquired Cease from the Chicago White Sox this week to give them a starting rotation boost for 2024 alongside Joe Musgrave, Yu Darvish and Michael King. The 28-year-old former sixth-round pick in 2014 by the Cubs disappointed with a 4.58 ERA and 79 walks in 177 innings in 2023, but he's struck out 200-plus hitters in each of the last three seasons and was the runner-up for the American League Cy Young in 2022. The move to SD makes Cease an even more attractive No. 3 fantasy starter because of his swing-and-miss stuff.

The San Diego Padres have acquired star right-hander Dylan Cease from the Chicago White Sox. The 28-year-old's name has been a staple in the rumor mill this offseason with Cease being connected to a number of teams. Ultimately, it's the Padres who have acquired the 2022 AL Cy Young runner-up. Cease worked to a 2.20 ERA in that 2022 campaign but regressed to a 4.58 ERA across 33 starts in the 2023 season. He sports a career 3.83 ERA across 123 big-league starts along with a strong 28.1% K% in that time. However, he also tends to struggle with control by way of a 10.4% career walk rate. Cease's fantasy value gets a boost from a wins perspective on a superior Padres club but a move from the weak AL Central to what should be a strong NL West can have a negative impact.