Padres News: Fans Reveal True Feelings About Upcoming 2024 Season

A complete 180 compared to how fans felt prior to the 2023 season.

The San Diego Padres were America's team prior to the 2023 season. Every pundit, expert, and fan picked the Padres to win the NL West. They were also one of the favorites to get to the National League Championship series, and eventually win the World Series.

Despite the immense talent on their side, the Padres fell flat on their face. Team finances became an issue, and they will enter the 2024 season without multiple members of their 2023 roster, including star Juan Soto.

It's fair to say the Padres are a far cry from what they were just 365 days ago. Because of that, fans are more pessimistic than optimistic as we enter February. 

The Atheltic's Dennis Lin conducted a survey on Padres fans' confidence levels regarding whether they're heading in the right direction. According to the survey, only 4.9% are 'very confident,' 25.3% are 'somewhat confident,' 38.5% are 'unsure,' 22.3% are 'not very confident,' and 9% are 'not confident at all.' 

Here are some fans breaking down their reasoning for not feeling so great. 

“It was fun while it lasted, but the unnecessary extensions are going to hamstring the team for the next decade.”

“I’m very scared for 2024; it’s January and the Padres only have one starting outfielder. I still believe in the overall direction and long-term competitiveness of the club.”

“It feels like our moment has passed.”

“That dragon we slayed now has three heads and our shoelaces are tied together.”

via The Athletic

The Padres went from mighty underdogs to the top dogs. Now they seem to be the runt of the litter. 

It happens to teams fast, especially with how unsustainable this team was built in a short amount of time. The bill was due, and the Friars had no reasonable way to pay for it. 

San Diego didn't want to trade Soto or let Josh Hader walk. But they had to start the books fresh and reset for years to come. 

The Padres still have top-tier talent, and they'll look to do the best with what they have. Fans and pundits may not love the Frirars as much as last year, but they may prefer to be doubted and overlooked.