Padres Flaws Were Ultimately Exposed By A Better Team

The San Diego Padres were a flawed team that managed to make the playoffs and win a round, but the combination of thin pitching and an aging veteran roster was ultimately exposed by a Milwaukee Brewers club that was simply a better all-around team.

Indeed, it’s somewhat amazing that the Padres were able to make it as far as they did. They went into the season with a sketchy rotation that was badly hurt by the departure of Dylan Cease, who signed with the Toronto Blue Jays in free agency and went on to have a Cy Young caliber season. 

Problems surfaced almost immediately after that when erstwhile ace Nick Pivetta went out with a forearm/elbow injury and Joe Musgrove was unable to successfully complete his comeback from surgery. 

That left it up to GM A.J. Preller to constantly patch rotation holes without the budget to do it, and while Preller showed endless creativity with the moves he made, the result was an overreliance on the bullpen. That showed up big against Milwaukee, as both Adrian Morejon and closer Mason Miller failed in big moments. 

The moves that ultimately did the Padres in were the two trades Preller at the deadline, as he acquired starters Casey Mize and Robbie Ray to bolster the rotation. 

But both pitchers ultimately failed in big moments, and it’s unlikely that either will be back as the Padres will probably overhaul their entire rotation once the new ownership group settles in and comes up with a budget after the lockout ends. 

The problems were nearly as profound on offense. Manny Machado, Fernando Tatis Jr. and Jackson Merrill all struggled early, and by the time they came around the Padres had to fight just to secure a playoff berth. The late run they posted was impressive, but if this trio had been more consistent early the Padres would have been a far more complete team. 

The Padres did get occasionally amazing performances from several of their veterans on offense, although the season stats tell a very different story. 

Jake Cronenworth, Gavin Sheets and Xander Bogaerts were lineup holes for much of the season, but the Padres wound up punching above their weight against a Milwaukee team that put constant pressure on the pitchers in tight games that San Diego ultimately wound up losing. It’s unclear at this point whether big changes will be coming, but it’s very clear that the Padres were ultimately beaten by a better team.