The San Diego Padres were stunned to miss out on playing in the World Series last year. Not just because they lost to the Los Angeles Dodgers, but because the Dodgers went on to win the whole thing over the New York Yankees after beating the Padres in five games.
It’s the very momentum that could propel this Padres team from coming up short to their Southern California rivals for a second-straight season. Even if their division counterparts went on a spending frenzy to lock down baseball’s most expensive roster.
The Dodgers had one of the most expensive rosters last year, highlighted by Shohei Ohtani’s $700 million contract to keep him in LA for the next nine years. The Padres managed to score 21 runs in 20 innings to start the NLDS last year, only to not score the final two games.
If the Padres were able to do that last year, why would their confidence be shattered a year later? The Dodgers have positioned themselves to be baseball’s most expensive team and, by default, most successful in the modern era. The Padres aren’t taking that lightly.
What it would take for the San Diego Padres to dethrone the Los Angeles Dodgers
Well, for one, if the Padres have any interest in dethroning the Dodgers, they’ll need more consistent offense when it matters. The biggest problem for them in the NLDS was the fact that they couldn’t get timely hits.
When you’re facing a Dodgers bullpen that’s equally expensive and has quality, it makes it difficult to win games when you can’t capitalize on mishaps. But the biggest priority is to focus on winning now.
The Padres have Dylan Cease, Michael King and Luis Arraez all back for one final season, they have to capitalize on that. Cease, the Padres’ ace, probably won’t be back next season with a contract that could be upwards of $100 million, if not much more.
There are reports that if the Padres can’t string together enough wins to be in contention, they’ll likely trade him for a profitable return. That said, they’d love to win with him while they can.
Arraez was brought on early last season and slashed .318/.346./.398 in 117 games with the Padres. He also had 41 RBIs with four home runs. Aside from their pending free agents, they also have Fernando Tatis Jr. and Manny Machado under long-term contracts still.
The Padres have a talented enough roster to win right now. But is it strong enough to keep up with the rest of the National League? And if it is, how will it compete against the likes of the Dodgers who seem to have unlimited funds when it’s time to restructure their roster.