- Opening Day for the 2023 MLB season is March 30.
- The Padres play their season opener against the Rockies at Petco Park.
The San Diego Padres made a lot of moves during 2022 to secure a playoff berth, and the team advanced to the ALCS. Have they tightened everything up enough to go all the way this season?
Padres GM A.J. Preller has made it very clear he wants to bring San Diego its first World Series title. Perhaps 2023 will be the year.
San Diego Padres Offseason Transactions
The Padres went all-in at the 2022 trade deadline, with the biggest acquisition being star outfielder Juan Soto, who is still under club control for two more seasons. As a result, the team’s roster was already pretty stacked going into the offseason.
“I’ve never been on a team this talented.”
– Juan Soto on the @Padres roster. #SpringTraining pic.twitter.com/C9fE1b6wyA
— MLB Network (@MLBNetwork) February 27, 2023
Still, San Diego didn’t shy away from signing one of the top shortstops on the market, Xander Bogaerts, in free agency. During the 2022 regular season with the Boston Red Sox, Bogaerts batted .307 with an OPS of .833 and 15 home runs, so he’s a fantastic acquisition for the Padres.
In other big news, the Padres extended third baseman Manny Machado on an 11-year, $350 million deal, replacing the 10-year, $300 million contract Machado signed in 2019, before the included opt-out clause came up at the end of 2023. This means the 30-year-old will likely play in San Diego for the rest of his career.
San Diego Padres Odds
- Odds to Win NL West: +115
- Odds to Win National League: +450
- Odds to Win World Series: +950
All odds are as of March 9.
San Diego Padres Win Total
The Padres’ win total for the 2023 season is 93.5.
While I don’t think 93.5 wins is out of the question, it would be the winningest season the Padres have had since 1998, when they finished the regular season with a record of 98-64. To be fair, this is the best roster the team has had since then, if not ever, so I’m definitely not counting 93.5 wins out. Still, it’s a big ask.
San Diego Padres Predictions
Prediction: The San Diego Padres will win the NL West.
They’ll have to fight for it, but I think the Padres will be able to edge out the Los Angeles Dodgers to win the NL West in 2023.
Fernando Tatís Jr. will rejoin the roster April 20 after being suspended for using PEDs last season, and with Bogaerts (playing shortstop and likely pushing Tatís Jr. to right field), Soto and Manny Machado rounding out the top four spots on the batting order, it’s a fierce lineup. Back it up with Jake Cronenworth, and Ha-Seong Kim, and the Padres are a team for opponents to be very worried about.
Superstar Yu Darvish will likely start on Opening Day, making him the first pitcher to start three straight Padres openers since Jake Peavy, who started four straight from 2006-09. He’s backed up by a tight rotation of Joe Musgrove, Blake Snell, Michael Wacha, and Seth Lugo, which certainly isn’t to be scoffed at.
In 2022, the Padres managed to eliminate the Dodgers in the AL Division Series to advance to the ALCS — can they find that power earlier this season? I foresee some moves at the trade deadline to solidify a playoff roster, probably for a catcher and some more pitching depth, but otherwise, this is a great lineup.
Keep an eye on the Padres in 2023.
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