What in the world is going on in San Diego?
Last October, the Padres seemed primed to potentially win the World Series. They had the vaunted Los Angeles Dodgers on the ropes with a 2-1 lead in the NLDS. Many believed they had a roster even more talented than their counterparts to the north.
San Diego ended up losing the series to the Dodgers. There’s no shame in this considering LA ended up winning the World Series. Many Dodgers themselves praised San Diego in the offseason for being the best team they went up against all year long.
You’d think the Padres would be motivated to catch the Dodgers and improve the roster throughout the offseason. Well, that hasn’t exactly happened. As of right now, there’s a real case to be made that the Padres could finish third — or even fourth — in the tough NL West this upcoming season.
The ongoing lawsuit between the late Peter Seidler’s wife and his siblings has cast a dark cloud over the franchise. Simply put, there’s been little emphasis on spending. Catcher Kyle Higashioka left for the Texas Ranger. Ha-Seong Kim is unlikely to return. Reliever Tanner Scott signed with the Dodgers — as did highly-pursued Japanese pitching prospect Roki Sasaki. Jurickson Profar left for the Atlanta Braves.
There are other signs the franchise may be trying to drop its payroll. Leadoff hitter Luis Arraez and pitcher Dylan Cease have both reportedly been on the trade block throughout the offseason. Most surprising, one recent report has Michael King potentially available via trade.
With Joe Musgrove out for the entire year due to elbow surgery, it would be somewhat strange to see the Padres deal Cease and/or King. San Diego watched as the Dodgers improved their roster considerably. Arizona should be better with the additions of Corbin Burnes and Josh Naylor. Even the Giants took a step up — re-signing Matt Chapman and inking Willy Adames and Justin Verlander to deals.
While the core of Manny Machado, Fernando Tatis Jr., and Jackson Merrill still exists, this team suddenly has a handful of holes it simply did not have a few months ago.
