Given the notoriety and success of the San Diego Padres’ bullpen in 2025, many fans may have forgotten about the second piece in the Tanner Scott trade back in the summer of 2024.

On July 30, 2024, the Padres acquired right-handed reliever Bryan Hoeing along with reliever Tanner Scott from the Marlins in exchange for RHP Adam Mazur, infielder Jay Beshears, LHP Robby Snelling, and infielder Graham Pauley.

While Scott was the centerpiece, Hoeing was an under-the-radar addition to the Padres’ bullpen and was seen as someone who could immediately provide some length and serve as an “inning eater” for the Friars. Hoeing additionally remains under Padres team control through the 2028 season, and at the ripe age of 29, his best days may well remain ahead.

After joining the Padres in late July of 2024, Hoeing proved to be an effective and efficient piece out of the bullpen.

In his 18 appearances for San Diego in 2024, he posted a 1.52 ERA and struck out 18 batters while walking just five over 23.2 innings. Hoeing was also particularly valuable as a multi-inning reliever, which allowed him to come in when a starter was knocked out early and serve as a bridge to the back-end bullpen. Hoeing splits his pitches mainly between a sinker and a splitter that fall around 93 and 86 mph, respectively, and after his 2024 success, he quickly looked like a candidate to join the starting rotation in 2025.

For Hoeing, the 2025 season included some setbacks.

The right-handed pitcher opened the year on the injured list with a right shoulder strain. Later, after rehab assignments in the minors, the Padres activated him in June; however, he only lasted seven games with the Padres before being optioned to Triple-A El Paso on July 22. In seven appearances, Hoeing worked through eight innings and posted an ERA of 3.38.

So, what’s next?

Moving forward, the Padres will first and foremost hope that Bryan Hoeing can remain healthy.

The first priority is staying healthy. If Hoeing remains healthy, one option for the Padres is to stretch Hoeing out to become a starter. Hoeing has shown he can go more than one inning, and even pitched 3.2 innings of one-hit baseball for the Padres on August 6 of 2024, against the Pirates. Hoeing, given his age, pitch repertoire, and endurance, should at a minimum be a strong candidate for the rotation.

Most notably under contract for the 2026 rotation are Nick Pivetta, Joe Musgrove, and Yu Darvish.

While these three are guaranteed to be a part of the starting rotation, it is unclear who the Padres may bring back between Dylan Cease and Michael King, if either. This would leave at minimum one more spot in the rotation. Other options include Randy Vasquez and JP Sears; however, when Hoeing was on point, he looked great, and with some more time spent with Ruben Niebla, it seems likely the Padres could have their next reliever turned starter.

Past success stories in recent history for the Padres doing this include Seth Lugo in 2022 and Michael King in 2024. While they may not need to go in this direction, it certainly remains a solid option should both Cease and King walk. A starting rotation rounded out by Vasquez and Hoeing could certainly look sharp should Darvish and Musgrove return to form, coming off injuries in 2024 and 2025.

Ultimately, if Bryan Hoeing can replicate anything close to his 2024 numbers (1.52 ERA over 23.2 innings with strong K/BB), he will be a very useful piece for the Padres’ starting rotation mix.

Additionally, given the strength of the Padres’ bullpen, utilizing Hoeing in the starting rotation will not hamper the already stacked bullpen, even if Robert Suarez departs this offseason. The coming months will be telling, and if he can stay healthy and settle into a defined role, he could be a quietly impactful piece for San Diego down the stretch into 2026 and beyond

Billy Seidlitz

Billy has spent a majority of his life following San Diego sports and worked in San Diego for many years. Now residing in Newport Beach he recently obtained his Juris Doctorate degree from Chapman University and now works as an Attorney. Billy enjoys supporting the Padres and SDFC from Orange County and making the drive down for big games. He is passionate about analytics and writing about sports.