ESPN Insider is Fearful for Padres' 2023 Playoff Chance

Will they fall short of their goals this year?

Even though the San Diego Padres looked amazing on paper heading into the 2023 season, we also have to look at this from a realistic standpoint. It is very hard for any new group of stars to immediately go the full mile in their first season together and considering that Xander Bogaerts was just added to the squad and Fernando Tatis Jr. hadn't played since 2021, they were not going to be at full strength right away.

You also have all of the rule changes that were being implemented for the first time this year, a number of rotational pieces that left in free agency, and a slew of early injuries that have all plagued San Diego. It seems like now we are finally starting to see what this squad is capable of and even though they sit a couple of games below .500, the NL West is certainly still within reach.

However, will those first two months headlined by injuries and some struggles at the plate come back to haunt them much more than they would have liked? The 2022 Padres squad proved that late season heroics could propel them to the playoffs but will SD fail to even get there?

ESPN's Bradford Doolittle fears that if the Friars cannot make some huge additions at the trade deadline, they may have to start planning for next year.

"The Padres are way better than this, right? Manny Machado will get it going, right? The offense will roll at some point, right? The deadline needs will narrow down to the rotation and catcher, once this all comes together and the bullpen gets healthier, right? Sorry for the uncertainty, but this is one befuddling team. And if the answer to these questions is "no" then the all-the-way-in Padres might be looking for a way out."

(Via ESPN)

There still is some time before the deadline and the Friars have some big series ahead of them in the coming weeks... we hope to see plenty of wins!