Where Do the Padres Currently Rank in the NL West?

There's no way 2024 could be worse, right?

The 2024 offseason is well underway and the San Diego Padres' National League West rivals are loading up. The Los Angeles Dodgers signed Shohei Ohtani and Yoshinobu Yamamoto, and traded for Tyler Glasnow. The San Francisco Giants signed Jung-Hoo Lee. The Arizona Diamondbacks signed Eduardo Rodriguez and Lourdes Gurriel Jr., and traded for Eugenio Suárez.

So far, the Padres' only major league free agent signing is Yuki Matsui, the veteran closer from Japan. 

San Diego's most notable offseason transaction saw superstar Juan Soto and premier defensive centerfielder Trent Grisham traded to the New York Yankees for a trio of pitchers headlined by Michael King. Other than that, the Padres' biggest move was promoting Mike Shildt to replace Bob Melvin as manager.

The pitching staff has also suffered since the end of last season. Michael Wacha, Seth Lugo and Nick Martinez have all signed elsewhere. Free agents Blake Snell and Josh Hader could soon follow suit.

Where does all of this leave the Padres compared to the rest of their division?

The Dodgers remain the betting favorite to win the West. The Diamondbacks, coming off a World Series appearance, have not gone quietly into the night and can hardly be considered an underdog.

In addition to signing the KBO superstar Lee, whom the Padres were rumored to be interested in, the Giants interviewed and quickly hired Melvin away from San Diego.

Last, and certainly least, the Rockies have done nothing. Reach out to a Rockies fan this holiday season. It's been a rough few years in Denver.

Against the backdrop of all these flashy moves, the Padres' roster still features plenty of talent. The top of the lineup is enviably stacked: Fernando Tatis Jr, Manny Machado, Xander Bogaerts, and Ha-Seong Kim are all coming back in 2024. The top of the rotation, headlined by Joe Musgrove and Yu Darvish, stands up against most rotations in MLB.

The Padres still have holes in the outfield and at designated hitter. There are plenty of names out there who could supplement this roster nicely. 

With the current roster paired with the right moves, there's no reason the Padres can't compete for the NL West. At worst, I see the Padres finishing third behind the Diamondbacks and Dodgers. However, if Shildt can bring this club together in a way Melvin could not in 2023, they could surprise some and finish higher in the division.