The San Diego Padres just posted back-to-back playoff appearances, but they have a long way to go to be among the elite.
Team rankings are everywhere these days, especially with spring training well underway and rosters about to be set for the season. Very few of these rankings are noteworthy, but Stephen Nesbitt of The Athletic did an intriguing one that considered the quarter-century from 2000-2025, and the Padres didn’t fare well at all.
The Padres checked in at 23rd, which feels low until you consider the entire stretch of time being considered here. San Diego has had six playoff years during this stretch, and they just posted their first back-to-back playoff appearances in 2024 and 2025 since 2005-2006.
The gap between playoff seasons is typical for small market teams, and it was only when GM A.J. Preller was hired just over a decade ago that the team began to shoot higher and become more consistently excellent.
That success is currently in jeopardy, however. The Padres have an aging roster, and they suffered significant losses in free agency, with starter Dylan Cease, closer Robert Suarez, first baseman Luis Arraez and outfielder/first baseman Ryan O’Hearn choosing to sign on with new teams.
The Padres did manage to bring back starter Michael King on a three-year deal, but he and starter Joe Musgrove are coming off serious injuries, and erstwhile ace Nick Pivetta has yet to pitch in spring training due to what’s being referred to as “arm fatigue” so far.
San Diego is playing well in spring training, with the offense showing signs of increased life, but there’s no way to know how well the thin rotation will hold up until the games start for real.
The Padres long-term forecast has also been hurt by the impending sale of the team, which was delayed by ownership infighting between members of the Seidler family. The lawsuit that infighting generated has been settled, but it prevented Preller from making significant offseason moves, and the Padres are currently filling in with a group of non-roster invitees.
What will likely determine how the Padres fare going forward is who buys the team. The Padres have been tight-lipped about that so far, but Joe Lacob, owner of the Golden State Warriors in the NBA, is currently the frontrunner.
San Diego also faces the dilemma of challenging their big-spending neighbor to the north. The Los Angeles Dodgers are showing no signs of slowing down their payroll expansion, which is part of why they ranked at the top of this particular list.