The Padres Have a MASSIVE PROBLEM On Their Hands…

The Padres Have a MASSIVE PROBLEM On Their Hands…

The Padres’s have a massive problem on their hands as a disappointing end to the season has revealed major holes on this team. What can be done to fix that? Let’s talk about it. Hi, welcome back to another episode of Padres’s Digest with your host Andrew. Today we’re discussing an article from Kevin AC from the San Diego Union Tribune that basically talks about Padres’s heading into their first off season since I don’t know the loss. So, how what do they need to power up for the next off seasonason or the next uh playoff I should say? So, before anything, let’s start with this now that we’re season’s over. Uh we got some plans for you guys. Some really cool plans. I think I also want to make a post eventually about what you guys want to see from us for video wise for the offseason. But first of all, we’re getting close to our first co-host collab video. Uh I already have a plan for that, me and Christian do. So, if you get us there, we need like a 100 subs left to get there. So, when we get there, we’ll drop that video. Uh, but yeah, subscribe. Thank you for watching. As always, we’re at the weird moment right now where the season’s over for us, but we’re technically not done with baseball cuz obviously still the the postseason going on. So, we’re at a weird moment where it’s too early to go full in free agency talks. Uh, and it’s still too late or it’s over for us. So, we have to like find things to talk about. So, yeah. I haven’t posted in a while, though. But, I wanted a little a little break to cope. I don’t know. Uh but yeah, let’s just jump into it, right? So, let’s talk about our first part of the Kevin AC article. The introduction, we’ll call it not enough. Padres see themselves as a consistent playoff team, but that’s not the goal anymore. CEO Eric Grouper, the and the team leaders emphasize that only a World Series title will satisfy the organization. Despite strong regular seasons, 183 wins over two years, playoff exits have revealed deeper flaws. This team’s winning culture is solid, but it hasn’t yet translated to postseason dominance. With meetings, contract talks, and budget planning ahead. The front office knows upgrades are needed. Forgot to mention this like I normally do, but this Kevin article, obviously read it if you want to read the whole thing, but I took it through my best friend Chad GBT and summarized it for you. You know the routine by now, but just in case, I still want to give Kevin AC his full credit, but it is summarized. Uh, but basically, yeah, we’re a good team that’s not good enough. Uh, and you could always, and you saw it during the playoffs, too. You could always tell that while the talent is there, like I keep saying it too, the talent is here. It’s just mindsets, uh, fundamentals, mechanics, it’s not quite there. Like, we got, like I said, we got the puzzle pieces. We just don’t know how to arrange them yet. We’re figuring it out. And it sucks. It’s frustrating because sometimes it goes really good. like 2024. The thing I really want to talk about, I wanted to make a postseason recap video, but I don’t think it was necessary. But one point I really wanted to make is that you could tell from the difference between last year’s team and this year’s team that this year’s team just didn’t have it. You know what I mean? Like I still remember the moments we had in 2024 and how good they were, but like I can’t think of that many 2025 moments, right? Like I remember Jerks and Proof Far against the Nationals, that whole thing or like all the just all the epic moments in 2024, right? I know I just kind of listed one, but off the top of my head, I feel like I could probably name 2024 more moments more than 2025 moments. Uh but my point being with that is that this team just didn’t have it this year. You know what I mean? It as in like the drive, the skill level, the the overall just like team mechanics that make a successful team. this year was always going to be a struggle and it was uh and as we we we kind of saw it in the beginning of the off seasonason and we were like okay let’s just let things happen and then we went on a hot streak uh and then yeah just the rest of the year was kind of a struggle and we’ll talk about that at a later date. I want to make this street. There we go. Maybe OCD. Uh but let me not spend too much time talking about it. So start with slug San Diego’s 2025 downfalls. No power ranked 28th in home runs and 18th in runs scored. Their bullpen couldn’t ma couldn’t their bullpen yeah couldn’t matter when the offense managed only five runs in three playoff games. Like yeah we tra we traded for Mason Miller and that’s great. He did amazing like some of the best pitching I’ve ever seen genuinely but it doesn’t matter if our offense isn’t giving them leads. Home runs win the po win in the postseason said one veteran and recent champions that back that’s that back that up statistically. Uh and what do we not hit that much? Home runs. Only really home was the only home run the Machado home run. Oh no, there was a Merryill home run, but that was a solo home run, but only really the Machado home run actually made a huge difference. Uh so dang it. I was going to say a bad word, but I didn’t want to. Dang it. Relying on singles and walk made run production too inconsistent across the year. Yeah, like I’ve like I’ve been saying, the next man up mentality never really worked out for us. We need to find new sources of power both from within Machado, Tatis, and Merryill and from acquisitions. Machado did have good power. Like he was his like usual career average power-wise, like around 30 home runs. Uh Tatis obviously not. Merryill, yes and no. He had moments, but not really. Uh but obviously other things, too. Like Padres’s don’t even have to make a giant splash. It’s clear what they lacked this year and it was the fact that Luisa Rise was playing a power position hitting second and hit 290 with a sub 720 and seven home runs. You need a first baseman that can provide 20 plus homers in order to win a division/world series. Another depth starter like Verlander type character and we ride. So yeah, I know I kind of got ahead of myself on that one actually, but basically the slug is something we really need to work on. And like Arise is going to be a free agent, right? We already know that. I don’t know if we’re going to resign him or not, but even if he does leave, we could resign O’Harn or even then just put Gavin Sheets at first base and already your slug problem is slightly repaired depending on what kind of Gavin Sheets we’ll get next year. But it’s not like we’re screwed. You know what I mean? Like we got moves to make obviously, but we’re not screwed. Uh internal power check kind of like part two to the last point. Machado, Tatis, and Merryill all had career low home runs and must must bounce back in 2026. Yes, Machado was around 30, but it was still like lower on that’s like the lower end of his career as it goes and he is getting older obviously, right? Machado’s homer won every 22.78 app bats was his worst since 2014. Tatis was his lowest ever. Merryill’s power dipped after three IIL stints but surged late. A positive sign for next year. Trade deadline addition Ramon Lauraniano hit nine home runs in 50 games before injuring, showing big upside. Uh and even with rebounds from the core, outside power remains a must to reach elite offensive levels. So what can they do? Despite budget talk, prefer Prellers’s front office built two playoff teams on reduced spending. Passover spending, notably 256 in 2023 led to tighter constraints, but 2026 books look manageable. With expiring deals arise, cease king, and options likely declined, Diaz, Wade, Hart, payroll could drop below 190 million. High price veterans like Machado and Bogarts are long-term commitments but manageable for now. Ownership’s record attendance and revenue mean room to add power bats and a rotation arm. And I can show you this right. Arise is 14. Dylan CE is about 14. Suarez is 12 million. Michael King about 8 million. Uh and Eric Hosmer comes off the book 17 million. So that’s already $65. 65 around million dollar freed up which is good, right? That’s a that’s a good if we were going to do that. This is a horrible point, but my point is going to be that that’s two 30 million a year contracts that we could get. Think like a I’m not going to say Peter Lonzo, but maybe like a Josh Naylor if he ever wants to come back for us. I don’t think he does to be honest. I’m sure he hates us. Uh but it’s a possibility, right? It’s a possibility. Uh but yeah, like we said, notable free agents, Arise C Suarez, King mutual option. So player option for Suarez if he wants to come back. I don’t know why he would. Michael King, I don’t also know why he would. Bondi Peralta maybe. Uh Ramon Lauraniano. Yes, we can keep him. It’s not up to him. I mean, no. Yeah, I guess technically it’s not up to him. Uh and then Diaz Mutual maybe. O’Harn Glacius Cortez. I would like to resign a glaciius low key, but that may be just me. Uh and then O’Harn I would also like to resign even though we can do better. I think I think as a fallback plan and even as like a bench bat or like an outfield like a kind of like what Sheets was for us this year, have it be that for Ryan O’Harn. I wouldn’t mind it. Uh but yeah, going back real quick. What can they do? Uh spend money. Also, we talked about this uh like a couple months ago, I think, at this point, but there was the uh possibility of getting an ESPN TV show uh TV contract that they might uh sign a deal. They said in September that deal would probably be announced and it’s now October, so I don’t know if it ever went through cuz I haven’t heard anything about it since. But if ESPN does acquire our rights, that’d obviously be way more money for us. But I hate ESPN, so take with that as you will. Uh, and then moving on, the Darvish dilemma. U Darvish, now 39, could retire, saving 16 million or return under managed innings. His elbow issues limited him in 2025. The team must balance usage with reliability. If he stays, the rotation projects as Pavetta, Musgrove, Vasquez, Sears, and Darvish. Muskro’s return from Tommy John and Vasquez’s breakout provide optimism. Still, San Diego might pursue one starter for depth and injury insurance. So yeah, let me start by showing you this alltime bad start from you Darvish on that one day. What was it like Thursday? Yeah, Thursday. Hell of a career. Hope he retires. Darvish will always be one of my favorite Padres’s. I love watching Darvis. I love watching him pitch. I love his attitude. I love his everything. I don’t think we have a place for a 40-year-old pitcher on this team. And it makes me really sad because Udarvis is still a good pitcher, honestly, in my opinion, but we don’t have the resources, I guess, the time to really We’re trying to win, right? We don’t have time for May. We have We need We need res We need resolutes. We need We need consistency. We need every single day. Well, for a pitcher, we’ll say every single start they go out there and you’ll know they’ll do a good enough job that they’ll win us a game. Udarish can be that for us, but he’s not always that for us. So, some days it’s a good start, some days it’s a bad start. We need consistency in this team. That’s the biggest thing we didn’t have this year. Consistency. I don’t think Udarish has that. I don’t want to see him play for another team, but if he wants to get traded, I don’t know if he can. I’m sure he could, but if he wants to get traded to like the White Socks or something or like someone with no like substantial like net loss from getting Darbish, that’s cool. But if he retires, I’m not going to say good. I’ll be like, I understand. I understand. I don’t want to see it, but if it happens, I understand. I love Darvish, but he’s not as good as he was when we first signed him, and that’s obvious. He’s going to be 40, right? Uh but another level, the clubhouse culture is strong. Players and staff describe it as a family. And yeah, there’s been talks about toxicity in our uh our our uh what’s the word? Clubhouse. Like Machado’s toxic, Bogarts is toxic. That video of them coming out and like yelling at the umpire. I mean, let’s be honest, yelling at the umpire. Maybe that wasn’t the classiest thing ever, but also that umpire kind of screwed us. And I’m sure emotions were high. like the Padres’s were just about to lose the wild card or they did actually. Uh so I get it. If people want to call us toxic, fine. I don’t really care. Our job is not to make the entire league love us. Our job is to win games. And Padre fans already love the Padres’s. So like, who who is there to impress? You know what I mean? Who is there to make good? If we have to be the Detroit Pistons in 1990s, call ourselves the bad boys, I don’t care. I’m here to win. Uh, but manager Mike Shell built belief in winning on the margins. The team led MLB in close game wins 57%. Veterans and coaches want to see more killer instinct and consistency. Players like Jackson Merrill and Rammon Lariano are reviewed as emotional leaders to push that edge. And I love that Jackson Merrill is like 22 and 23 and he’s already like a clubhouse leader. That’s why Jackson Merrell is going to be a big thing for us for the remaining what eight, nine years on his contract. So yeah, having Ramon Loriano will be huge for us. Even if he doesn’t even start, like if we sign a better left uh um left fielder, I still think having him on the bench as a potential DH or just a a fielder, like if we get Kyle Schwarber, obviously Lauriano will play in the outfield, but if it’s someone like much better on defense, having him as a DH, not bad, right? Uh the message, culture, and chemistry are good, but the next level demands dominance. And again, like I said, it’s not on here, but like I said, consistency, consistency, consistency, consistency. Uh, so power play outfield is locked. I wouldn’t say locked, but sure. Lauraniano, Mel, Tatis, all capable of more power. Gavin Sheets provides depth and a possible DH platoon option. The main need a slugger at first base or DH, not another contact bat. Big free agent Alonzo Josh Naylor on are unrealistic. Smart mid-season ads are more likely. Yeah, I don’t know how much Josh Naylor is gonna cost, but it might be too expensive. Pete Alonzo, absolutely. And I don’t hate Petonzo. I think he’d actually be good on this team, but I just don’t want another 10 million 4 or a 10year $400 million contract until he’s like 45. Like, we don’t need another one of those on our team. We need someone who has something to lose. You know what I mean? Something to prove, something to lose. Like Lauriano had something to prove and some things to lose. uh O’Harn kind of the same thing even though he didn’t play that great for us compared to his oral days like he still had something to prove right he was going to be a free agent you know what I’m saying uh we need people hungry you know what I mean we need hungry people like Tyler Wade for example man plays his heart out every single day uh when he was on our team so I just want people who want to win you know what I mean like screw securing the or like screw like having the bag securely secured I want hungry people on this team and I’m sure everyone does obviously it’s not like a like a like a hot But you know what I mean? But Pller may again rely on trade deadline adjustments, but the front office knows they can’t wait too long. And I know we’re talking about prospects like being uh just like depleted. I saw a post about prospects. I might make another video on that, but we’re not like depleted depleted. Just let Prell do his thing. Let’s be honest. We keep reloading the farm system like every single year. We’ll have some names still. You know what I mean? We still have some names. Uh but now closing takeaways. That the last one? Yeah, closing takeaways. Padres’s foundation is strong. Now it’s about powering up. Internal rebounds plus one big bat can transform their October potential. Playoff flexibility giving gives them breathing room to stay competitive. Leadership believes 2026 can be another level season if the power problem gets fixed. Bottom line, San Diego has built a contender to win it all. They need firepower. What I don’t want us to get are content players. I need hungry players. Don’t just sign 40-year-old Nelson Cruz or 50-year-old Jason Hayward. Like, give us some young, hungry guys. If we got to spend a little bit for it, fine. Right. Also, please apply if you haven’t and you want to. But I I think Preller knows what needs to be done. Will he do it? I don’t know. Depending on financial constraints, I don’t know. But I think this team knows what needs to be done. And that is put together a team. Not buy a team. Put together a team. We bought a team in 2023. It didn’t work. Put together a team. I don’t think the financial restraints are honestly the worst thing to ever happen to this team. It makes Pller get more creative. And if anyone can be creative, it is AJ Prell. And that’s also why I kind of want him back. If you agree with me, that’s a moot point. We’ll talk about that in another video. But if you want to put in the comments, feel free. But yeah, let me know how you guys feel. Do you agree with Kevin AC said? Who do you think you want in free agency? And what positions? What’s our biggest need? Just give me everything you think about it. Uh and yeah, have a fantastic rest of your day. Please subscribe as always and go Padres’s. Goodbye. I’ll see you next year, Padre. I’ll still miss you. I I mean, I’ll make videos, but you know what I mean. Also, comment if you guys what kind of ideas you guys want. I’ll make a post, like I said, but if you have any ideas, let me know. Okay, now. Goodbye.

Today, Andrew McFarland talks about the major overarching issues the Padres have and what could be done to adress those problems over the offseason…

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