The history of the San Diego Padres and Los Angeles runs deep. The two franchises have played in the same division since the Padres joined the league in 1969. Here is a look at the top 1o players who have played for both the Padres and Dodgers. 

The division rivalry between the Padres and Dodgers is growing.

It may not be on the level of the Giants/Dodgers rivalry, but that is understandable, as their existence goes back into the early days of baseball. The Giants and Dodgers both relocated from New York, and the two teams will always be each other’s true rival when it comes to the game.

For the Padres, the intensity of their rivalry is growing with the Dodgers. And why not? The Dodgers have completely dominated the division and have done so for well over a decade.

San Diego is hungry. The Padres are brash. This could be the year that a change in the guard is at hand.

The two franchises have a vast history, and here is a look at some of the best players who have played for both organizations as the two teams are set to battle in the 2024 MLB playoffs. These players listed are not in any particular order. There really is no way to rank the top 10 in exact order.

Honorable Mentions

Matt Kemp

L.A.- 10 years (.292/.348/.494) (.842 OPS) 203 HR- 3-time All-Star, 2 Gold-Gloves

SD- 2 years (.264/.301/..462) (.763 OPS) 46 HR- the first cycle in Padres history (8/14/15)

At the beginning of the 2015 season, the San Diego Padres acquired Matt Kemp in a head-scratching move. Sure, he was a star. However, his numbers were on a sharp decline, and he was owed more than $100 million for the remainder of his contract. The trade did not work out for the Padres as Kemp was merely a shadow of himself from his days in L.A. Kemp’s only contribution was recording the first cycle in the history of the franchise. Beyond that, he did little else. The Padres ended up eating his salary in a trade with the Braves. Kemp resurfaced in L.A. with the Dodgers and became an all-star in 2018 while still being paid a portion of his contract by the Padres. More salt on the wounds of the Padres.

Chan Ho Park

L.A.- 9 years (84-58  3.77 ERA/1.324 WHIP) 2 saves

SD- 2 years (11-10  5.08 ERA/1.459 WHIP)

In 2005, the Padres traded Phil Nevin to the Texas Rangers for Chan-Ho Park. Losing Nevin was rough, but the slugger did not like playing at Petco Park, and the Padres needed pitching. The right-handed pitcher came with a reputation as an innings-eater, and that is what the Padres needed. Park started 30 games for the club and was up and down in terms of production. All the years in L.A. caught up to the Korean pitcher who never eclipsed 100 innings in a season after leaving the Padres.

Steve Finley

L.A.- 1 year (.263/.324/.491) (.815 OPS)

SD- 4 years (.276/.334/.458) (.792 OPS)  1 All-Star appearance, 2 Gold-Gloves

It was sad seeing Finley play for the Dodgers at the tail end of his career. Most have fond memories of Finley, who was pivotal in the success of the 1998 Padres team. He was a rock in the outfield, and his offensive numbers increased in his time with the Padres. He developed in San Diego into an everyday player. Finley’s best baseball came as a member of the Diamondbacks, where he recorded a .851 OPS and slugged 153 home runs, including 36 in 2004, in which he played the last 58 games for the Dodgers.

Andy Ashby

L.A.- 3 years (14-23  4.26 ERA/1.374 ERA)

SD- 8 years (70-62  3.59 ERA/1.246 WHIP) 2-time All-Star

Ashby was unheralded in the Padres rotation for eight years. Ashby ate innings for the Friars for nearly a decade, totaling 187 games and over 1,200 innings. With sweat pouring from his cap, Ashby limited opponents in a Padres uniform for years. He was a workhorse. For the Dodgers, Ashby threw three years from 2001 through 2003 before ending his career with the Padres in 2004 (throwing a total of two innings).

David Wells

L.A.- 1 year (4-1  5.12 ERA/1.397 WHIP)

SD- 3 years (18-18  4.33 ERA/1.310 WHIP)

Native San Diegan Boomer Wells was the first Padres starting pitcher in the history of Petco Park. The lefty was past his prime when he pitched for the Padres, but he always gave a great effort and was an amazing competitor. Wells actually enjoyed two tenures with the Padres as he left via free agency after the 2004 season to pitch in Boston. Wells did not fare well on the East Coast and was dealt back to the Padres in 2006 for minor league catcher George Kottaras. In 2007, Wells ended his career with the Dodgers, recording a 5.12 ERA in seven starts.

#10- Fred McGriff

L.A.- 1 year (.249/.322/.428) (.750 OPS)

SD- 3 years (.281/.388/.519) (.906 OPS) 1 All-Star appearance

You can’t leave a Hall-0f-Famer off this list, and McGriff is definitely included. Even though his Dodgers tenure was brief, the Crime Dog still played for the Boys in Blue. His years in San Diego were terrific as McGriff solidified the first base position and gave a huge lift to the middle of the order. McGriff was acquired with Tony Fernandez in a deal that sent Roberto Alomar and Joe Carter to the Blue Jays. His opposite-field home runs at Qualcomm stadium were a thing of beauty as McGriff wore out the left-center gap continually and hit a few palm trees in the process. In 1993, the Padres dealt McGriff to the Braves for Melvin Nieves and two minor leaguers in a horrendous deal. It was a sad time to be a Padres fan. A sad time indeed.

#9- Fernando Valenzuela

L.A.- 11 years (141-116  3.31 ERA/1.283 WHIP)  Cy Young Award (1981), Rookie of the Year Award (1981), 6-time All-Star

SD- 3 years (23-19  4.22 ERA/1.508 WHIP)

Fernando Valenzuela entered the league as a 20-year-old phenom. His 1981 rookie season was amazing as he won the Cy Young award and the Rookie of the Year award. His screwball was unhittable, and Valenzuela dominated early in his career. Tommy Lasorda notoriously rode his pitchers, as Valenzuela made every start from 1981 through 1987, totaling 1,788 innings (average of 255 innings per season) and 234 starts (averaging 34 starts per season). He was never the same towards the end of the 1987 season and beyond. Arm troubles from throwing a screwball were too much to overcome. He toiled around the league but never had much success. Valenzuela signed with the Padres in April of 1995. It started as a way to generate interest from the fans, but the lefty still had something left in his tank as he pitched in 75 games over three years. In 1996, Valenzuela went 13-8 with a 3.62 ERA in over 170 innings for the Padres. He was a fan favorite.

#8- Yu Darvish

L.A.- 1 year (4-3  3.44 ERA/1.148 WHIP)

SD- 4 years (39-32  3.79 ERA/1.090 WHIP) 1 All-Star appearance

Yu Darvish is still very much part of the Padres’ plans as the right-handed pitcher is signed through the 2028 season. Darvish will go down as arguably the best Japanese pitcher in the game’s history when he retires. He is probably a first-ballot Hall of Famer. Darvish anchors the rotation right now and provides another coach on the staff for the young Padres pitchers. His time in L.A. was as a rental during the 2017 season when the Rangers dealt the star west to L.A. Darvish finished his commitment with the Dodgers and signed with the Cubs in the winter. The Padres plucked the pitcher away from the Cubs in late 2020 and then re-signed him to a long-term deal. Darvish is happy in San Diego, and the Padres are pleased with him.

#7- Steve Garvey

L.A.- 14 years (.301/.337/.459)  (.796 OPS) MVP (1974), 8-time All-Star, 4 Gold-Gloves

SD- 5 years (.275/.309/.409)  (.717 OPS) 2-time All-Star

Steve Garvey‘s N0. 6 is retired by the San Diego Padres. That event is still controversial for some Padres fans as Garvey pledges virtually all elegance to the Dodgers and considers himself a Dodger first. And why wouldn’t he? He won the MVP as a Dodger and made eight MLB All-Star games, totaling over 6,500 at-bats. He also played in L.A. almost three times longer than he did with the Padres. Garvey’s iconic homer off of Cubs’ closer Lee Smith in the NLCS earned him the retired number. For a franchise that had never even been to the playoffs before, that home run was huge for the Padres. Garvey also gave the Padres a sort of relevance when he signed with the Padres in 1983. The team had never signed a free agent of his value before.

#6- Manny Machado

L.A.- 1 year (.273/.338/.487)  (.822 OPS)

SD- 6 years (.275/.341/.490)  (.831 OPS)

Manny Machado should be enshrined in the Baseball Hall of Fame one day. And it will come as a San Diego Padre. Machado is entrenched in the city and signed to play through the 2033 season. He is the franchise’s all-time home run leader. The third baseman is a minority owner for the San Diego FC, a new MLS team that will start play in 2025. Machado is a rock in the middle of the Padres lineup and, more importantly, in the clubhouse. Often vilified, Machado has done his best to continue to play the game and turn around his reputation. Machado is respected among the players and is starting to really grow as a leader. For L.A., Machado was a rental from the Orioles during the 2018 season. He had no intention of signing back in Baltimore and came to San Diego on a 10-year/$300-million deal that (at the time) was the richest in North American sports history. The Padres made a splash and signed a superstar.

#5- Rickey Henderson

L.A.- 1 year (.208/.321/.306)  (.627 OPS)

SD- 3 years (.245/.399/.354)  ( .753 OPS)

Another hall of fame that played for both franchises is Rickey Henderson. The best leadoff hitter in the history of the game played just one season in L.A., where he struggled mightily at the age of 44 in 2003. That season was his last in the majors. As a Padre, Henderson enjoyed a decent run. During his first tenure in 1996 and 1997, Henderson shared time with Greg Vaughn and produced for the Friars. He was instrumental in the 1996 team that made the playoffs for only the third time in the franchise’s history. Henderson broke a few records with the Padres, including the all-time walk record. After the 2000 season, the Padres signed Henderson for the upcoming year. He produced a .717 OPS in 123 games for the Padres as a 42-year-old outfielder. Rickey gets on. And Henderson did quite often for the Padres, recording a .399 career on-base percentage with San Diego.

#4- Adrian Gonzalez

L.A.- 6 years (.280/.339/.454)  (.793 OPS) 1 All-Star appearance, 1 Gold-Glove

SD- 5 years (.288/.374/.514)  (.888 OPS) 4-time All-Star- 3 Gold-Gloves

Coming out of Eastlake High, Adrian Gonzalez looked like he was going to be a special talent for the Padres. The team acquired him and Chris Young in 2010 for Adam Eaton and Akinori Otsuka. At the time, people were shocked the Padres dealt Eaton, but Gonzalez was the former #1 overall pick and was blocked in Texas by Mark Teixeira. Gonzalez immediately paid dividends as the 24-year-old put up a .862 OPS in his first season with the Padres. The first baseman only got better and was dealt at the pinnacle of his career to the Red Sox as the Padres flat-out refused to pay him fair market value. Gonzalez played in Boston but was moved to the Dodgers and actually played one more year with the Dodgers than the Padres. Gonzalez, at one time, was a hometown hero. Now, his Dodger days seem to outweigh what he did in San Diego. An angry Gonzalez, for how things went down, considers himself a Dodger first. And that is a travesty.

#3- Kevin Brown

L.A.- 5 years (58-32  2.83 ERA/1.100 WHIP)  2-time All-Star

SD- 1 year (18-7  2.38 ERA/1.066 WHIP) 1 All-Star appearance

In the 1998 season, Kevin Brown was as dominant a pitcher as the Padres had ever seen. Coming off a World Series title in 1997, Brown was obtained from the Marlins for prized prospect Derek Lee. It was worth it, as Brown almost single-handedly pushed the Padres into the postseason. It is a farce that Brown failed to win a Cy Young award that season. Even more tragic was the fact Brown left the Padres (after guiding them to the 1998 World Series) in favor of the Dodgers. The Padres could not pay the $105 million deal that Brown inked with Los Angeles and had to endure him pitching within the division for five years. Luckily for San Diego, Brown did not have the same results in L.A., though he did not fail by any means. For three out of his five years in Los Angeles, Brown pitched the whole season and ate innings. A few nagging injuries limited his overall production, but he justified his deal in L.A. for the most part. Padres fans loved Brown, but his years in L.A. taint the love.

#2- Mike Piazza

L.A.- 7 years (.331/.394/.572)  (.966 OPS) Rookie of the Year. 6-time All-Star

SD- 1 year (.283/.342/..501)  (.843 OPS)

Mike Piazza produced some dominant years in L.A. Frankly, I am amazed the Dodgers allowed him to leave in favor of the Mets (via the Marlins). Piazza wasn’t a great defender, but he goes down as arguably the best offensive catcher in the game next to Josh Gibson. His time in San Diego was sudden as the Padres signed Piazza in February of 2006. Apparently, the Mets were done with his services. The catcher solidified the Padres offense and brought some credibility to the clubhouse. His .843 OPS goes down as one of the most productive seasons at catcher in the history of the Padres. San Diego only paid Piazza $1.25 million for his lone season with the club. After a productive year, Piazza sought a raise. And in true Padres fashion, they balked. He signed with A’s for the 2007 season (for $8.5 million) and then walked away from the game. The hall-of-fame catcher was inducted in 2016 and went in wearing a Mets cap, much to the dismay of Dodgers fans.

#1- Greg Maddux

L.A.- 2 years (8-7  3.94 ERA/1.111 WHIP)

SD- 2 years (20-20  4.07 ERA/1.232 WHIP) 2 Gold-Gloves

One of the best pitchers in the game’s history, Maddux pitched two years for both franchises. Maddux was a professor on the mound, and his signing with the Padres was pretty surreal. He inked a $10-million deal in December of 2006 after his second tenure with the Cubs. The two sides enjoyed the 2007 season so much that Maddux signed the same exact deal for 2008, which would be his last in the major leagues. At 42, Maddux could not go much further than 85 pitches and/or six innings at the tail end of his career. He could still get outs and was an amazing defender still, but the arm was losing strength. The Padres dealt Maddux to L.A. in August of 2008 for two minor leaguers, and he pitched in seven games for L.A. He retired after the season.

James Clark

James was born and raised in America’s Finest City. He is a passionate baseball fan with even more passion towards his hometown Padres. Editor-In-Chief of EastVillageTimes.com. Always striving to bring you the highest quality in San Diego Sports News. Original content, with original ideas, that’s our motto. Enjoy.