For the daring supporters, the news that the San Diego Padres head coach has been suspended because of a misunderstanding is unimaginable.
It is inconceivable to the courageous fans that the San Diego Padres head coach has been suspended due to a misunderstanding.
Just a dozen or so fans remain from the mob that gathered outside the San Diego Padres’ gates a year ago to get autographs.
If not for the Japanese and Korean media, the Padres’ clubhouse, which was crammed with reporters last spring, would be home to less than a dozen.
There is no longer any bluster or excitement over the Padres earning their first World Series title in team history.
You have to drive past the Padres complex and continue for another 11 miles if you want to locate all of the spectators, the excitement, and the bizarre expectations.
The Los Angeles Dodgers, along with Shohei Ohtani, are here.
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This spring, the Padres are old news. A year ago, they underachieved despite having all of the Dodgers’ build-up.
With a franchise-record $291 million competitive balance tax payroll, they appeared incredibly strong on paper, but during the season they were terribly average, needing a 14-2 finish to go above.500.
After a dismal 2023 season, Manny Machado and the San Diego Padres hope to bounce back.
“The biggest thing was disappointment because of the people we had in that room,” says Padres general manager A.J. Preller. “This club seemed to us to be incredibly capable of winning a World Series. Even if everything went wrong, we believed we ought to be in a position where we could compete with anyone.
We left a lot on the table last year, I know guys felt.
One year later, they are cutting their payroll by almost $100 million, trading away their most productive player (Juan Soto), letting their Cy Young winner (Blake Snell) walk away, bidding farewell to their All-Star closer (Josh Hader), and parting with Trent Grisham, their two-time Gold Glove center fielder, as well as three seasoned pitchers (Michael Wacha, Seth Lugo, and Nick Martinez).
“We have confidence in the guys we have.” However, as All-Star third baseman Manny Machado notes, “Obviously, Soto cannot be replaced.” Playing the game at the top is him. He is unavoidable. I…
Some large, important parts were lost. However, I believe our bunch of guys are qualified to go out and compete every day.
The Padres maintain that they still anticipate winning, but that is a far different message than it was a year ago. NL West survival is the topic of conversation, not their parade route after winning the World Series.
The only championship they ever won was that of the greatest mystery in baseball.
Their on-base percentage was fifth, but they struggled mightily to get those runners in; just four teams had a worse batting average (.241) when they had runners in scoring position.
Their major-league worst 9-23 record in one-run games and 2-12 record in extra-inning games were reflections of their terrible clutch hitting.
That was crazy, Cronenworth remarked. That is unlikely to happen again, in my opinion.
