Padres News: Blake Snell, Xander Bogaerts and More Feeling Regret for 'Lost Season'

They aren't getting any younger.

The San Diego Padres' 2023 season officially came to an end on Friday, putting an ugly bow on one of baseball's most disappointing seasons ever.

A team that entered the year with self-proclaimed championship aspirations and one of baseball's highest payrolls spent over four months below .500, and failed to even qualify for a Wild Card spot.

The Padres entered the 2023 season with vibes and expectations at an all-time high. They finally slayed the dragon by beating the Dodgers in the NLDS. They won the offseason by signing All-Star shortstop Xander Bogaerts. They extended the heart and soul of their team in Manny Machado for the rest of his career. And they were welcoming superstar Fernando Tatis Jr. back from injury and suspension in late April.

Everything was lining up for 2023 to be the year of San Diego, and instead, their season ended four days before the beginning of the Wild Card round.

“It’s something that looking back on, when we’re all old, it’s going to be one that stings,” likely NL Cy Young winner Blake Snell said, “Because I don’t know if I’ll ever play on a team this talented and this good.”

Via San Diego Union-Tribune

Snell is a free agent this offseason, and despite expressing a desire to remain in San Diego, is unlikely to do so. And if he does leave, that'll leave a massive, Cy Young sized hole in the Friars' rotation. 

One guy who will be there, though, is Bogaerts, who will be entering year two of an 11-year, $280 million contract that will conclude when he's 41 years old. He knows that these next few seasons have to be considered the Padres' prime years to win a World Series, and wasting one was not in the cards for San Diego.

"Guys like me and Manny, we know we’re gonna be here a long time,” Bogaerts said. “But we and the front office and the fan base are thinking (about) the now. When you go out and bring in guys, give them money, they’re thinking (about) the now. … Being in our young 30s, we still feel great. But losing a year like this is a prime year for what we envisioned and what we hoped was going to start with a playoff berth.”

Via San Diego Union-Tribune

Joe Musgrove, who had a great year before getting hurt at the end of July and ultimately missing the rest of the season, summed it up perfectly:

“Every year that we don’t win with this group feels like a year wasted."

Via San Diego Union-Tribune

The Padres have a big offseason ahead of them as they regroup and hope to never have a disappointment like this again.

Next year, there's a good chance their Fan Fest will have significantly less confident speeches.