Sizing up the Padres' 4 spring roster battles

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Padres manager Mike Shildt recently called his team’s spring roster competition as “wide-open” as any he could recall.

I'll go ahead and agree with that sentiment. By my count, the Padres have at least eight spots available on their Opening Day roster (a roster, which, it should be noted, is likely to expand for their two-game season-opening series against the Dodgers in Korea).

Two weeks into Padres camp, four major roster competitions have emerged. Here’s a look at each, with a breakdown of the places available and the contenders:

1. The outfield
Places available: At least two
Already in: Fernando Tatis Jr., Jurickson Profar
The contenders: José Azocar, Jackson Merrill, Jakob Marsee, Bryce Johnson, Cal Mitchell, Óscar Mercado

Without question, this is the biggest question mark on the San Diego roster. So glaring are the Padres’ outfield needs that it feels like a near certainty they’ll make an addition to this mix prior to Opening Day. Even if that happens, there’s still at least one place available -- and it’s probably a starting spot.

Merrill, the team’s No. 2 prospect, is the most intriguing contender. The Padres have already made it clear they intend to get him plenty of at-bats against big league-caliber pitching. He’s also clearly taken to left field, despite spending most of his career at shortstop.

Profar is one option for left, though he’s best suited for a versatile bench role. Mitchell is another. In center field, the righty-hitting Azocar is a roster favorite, perhaps for a platoon with a lefty bat like Marsee. But, yeah, the Padres could use another outfielder.

2. The bench
Places available: Three (four, if you count the DH vacancy)
Already in: Profar, Kyle Higashioka
The contenders: Azocar, Eguy Rosario, Matthew Batten, Brett Sullivan, Graham Pauley, Eguy Rosario, Tyler Wade, Mercado, Merrill, Marsee

This is another spot the Padres will look to add to in the coming weeks. If the team carries five outfielders, which seems very possible, that would leave two additional spots for utility pieces. Batten and Rosario have experience in that capacity already for San Diego. A number of non-roster invitees will have a chance to make a case.

Still, this Padres bench could use a bopper -- a first-base/corner-outfield/DH type. Essentially, the type of hitter who could serve mostly as the DH or a pinch-hitter but with the ability to play sporadically in the field.

Maybe Martorella or Pauley could be that type of hitter. They’re the team’s Nos. 11 and 12 prospects, respectively. But they’d need monster springs. The Padres aren’t going to promote from their prospect group for a lightly used bench player.

3. The rotation
Places available: Probably two
Already in: Joe Musgrove, Yu Darvish, Michael King
The contenders: Jhony Brito, Randy Vásquez, Jairo Iriarte, Matt Waldron, Pedro Avila, Jay Groome, Glenn Otto

Asked recently whether he foresaw five or six pitchers in his Opening Day rotation, Shildt said, “TBD, let’s get to five first, then we’ll see what six looks like.”

Taking Shildt’s advice, let’s get to five. Right now, the Padres have three locks, then a whole bunch of question marks. That said, they seem more bullish on their internal options to fill out the rotation than the outfield.

Brito and Vásquez, arrivals from New York in the Juan Soto trade, are the early favorites. Waldron, meanwhile, put forth an impressive debut against the Dodgers on Friday, and Iriarte has turned heads in camp. Prospects Robby Snelling (Padres’ No. 3 prospect), Drew Thorpe (No. 6) and Adam Mazur (No. 8) will also get game action, though they seem destined to open the year in the Minors.

4. The bullpen
Places available: One (but let’s be real, bullpens are never that simple)
Already in: Robert Suarez, Yuki Matsui, Wandy Peralta, Steven Wilson, Tom Cosgrove, Woo-Suk Go, Enyel De Los Santos
The contenders: Adrian Morejon, Jeremiah Estrada, Alek Jacob, Logan Gillaspie, Stephen Kolek, Sean Reynolds, Luis Patiño, several NRIs

Presuming an eight-man bullpen, there’s only one place available, and it’s entirely possible that one of those leftover starters -- say, Vásquez, Brito or Waldron -- will earn it as a long man.

But bullpens are never so simple. Injuries arise. Players regress. And at the very least, the Padres are likely going to carry a couple extra arms, should rosters expand for their two games in Korea. They have options to choose from -- including Estrada, who has already pitched a pair of perfect innings, with four strikeouts.