Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

Your fantasy season doesn’t finish after the draft. Dominate your fantasy soccer league with our new FREE Season Tools, together with Weekly Expert Rankings, Targets Reports, Lineup Adviser, Trade Analyzer and extra. Click here to get began.

San Diego Padres

2023 document: 82-80 (.506)

Third Place, NL West

Team ERA: 3.73 ERA (2nd)

Team OPS: .742 OPS (thirteenth)

What Went Right

The Padres wound up lacking the postseason, regardless of boasting the third-highest payroll in baseball in the course of the 2023 marketing campaign. If San Diego’s metaphorical luxurious yact started taking over water in the course of the 2023 marketing campaign, it was Blake Snell that stored the ocean liner afloat by placing collectively one of the vital full start-to-finish pitching performances in latest reminiscence, recording a microscopic 2.25 ERA, 1.19 WHIP and 234/99 Ok/BB ratio throughout 180 innings (32 begins). The 30-year-old southpaw is a digital lock to safe his second profession Cy Young Award in just a few weeks after permitting three earned runs or fewer in a staggering 30 of his 32 begins, together with 23 consecutive outings to shut the season. Perhaps the most important query going through the Padres this offseason is whether or not they’ll have the monetary flexibility to deliver Snell, who is ready to achieve free company for the primary time in his profession, again on an enormous multi-year dedication. San Diego’s entrance workplace has proven a willingness to spend on upper-echelon expertise, which might make it a major loss if Snell, who boasts a stellar 3.15 ERA throughout 83 begins over the previous three years with the Padres, have been to wind up some place else this offseason.

He appears way more more likely to depart through free company, nevertheless it’s plain that southpaw Josh Hader stays an elite fantasy nearer after changing 33 saves this season to accompany a glowing 1.28 ERA, 1.10 WHIP and 85/30 Ok/BB ratio throughout 56 1/3 innings (61 appearances). There have been some query marks concerning his situational availability within the closing weeks of the season, however these would presumably disappear as soon as the ink is dry on a major multi-year dedication this offseason. It’s doable he’ll wind up again in San Diego because the anchor of probably the greatest pitching staffs in baseball, however that is still to be seen. The Padres obtained stellar full-season efforts from unheralded relievers like Tom Cosgrove, Nick Martinez, Pedro Avila, Luis Garcia and Steven Wilson, who every eclipsed the 50-appearance threshold as a part of one of many higher aid teams within the sport.

What Went Wrong

If you’re paying consideration, you’ll discover that we haven’t talked about San Diego’s star-studded lineup but. Despite stable performances from Juan Soto, Manny Machado, Fernando Tatis Jr., Ha-Seong Kim and offseason import Xander Bogaerts, it was sub-replacement degree performances from the remainder of San Diego’s positional participant teams that in the end led to them lacking the postseason. The superstars will obtain nearly all of the blame, nevertheless it’s unattainable to miss how the Padres’ lack of manufacturing at catcher, first base, middle subject and designated hitter torpedoed their playoff hopes. It appears like Luis Campusano is the long-term reply at catcher, and scrap-heap pickup Gary Sánchez managed to clobber 19 homers in 72 video games out of nowhere, however underwhelming performances on the dish from Jake Cronenworth, Trent Grisham, Matt Carpenter, Rougned Odor, Austin Nola and Nelson Cruz have been merely an excessive amount of to beat.

The Padres’ offensive points can’t be glossed over, however the beginning rotation additionally performed a task within the membership’s lack of ability to edge out upstart rosters just like the Marlins and Diamondbacks for a spot within the playoffs as each Yu Darvish and Joe Musgrove have been restricted to fewer than 25 begins attributable to harm, and have been each unavailable in the course of the closing stretch of the common season. It’s value noting that offseason acquisitions Seth Lugo and Michael Wacha have been wonderful as back-end rotation stabilizers. However, a smorgasbord of non permanent stopgap options, together with Ryan Weathers, Rich Hill and Matt Waldron, have been unable to adequately change the sometimes regular efficiency of veterans like Darvish and Musgrove all year long.

Fantasy Slants

** Arguably the most important non-Ohtani offseason storyline in baseball issues whether or not the Padres will elect to commerce Juan Soto previous to the 2024 season as he enters his closing yr earlier than free company. The 24-year-old generational celebrity is more likely to command one of many greatest contracts in baseball historical past after recording a stratospheric .946 OPS with 160 homers in 779 video games over the past six seasons. Among essentially the most constant offensive forces within the sport, due to his chic plate self-discipline, Soto batted a strong .275/.410/.519 with 97 runs scored, a career-high 35 round-trippers, 109 RBI and 12 stolen bases throughout 708 plate appearances in 162 video games this yr in his first full-season with the Padres. He led the majors with 132 walks this season and solely struck out 129 occasions throughout that span. He’ll wind up as a borderline first-round choice in conventional (non-OBP) fantasy drafts subsequent spring as one of many premier high-floor four-category anchors in the complete panorama.

** It was a little bit of a nightmare season for Joe Musgrove, who wound up lacking a pair weeks on the outset of the common season after struggling a fractured large left toe throughout a spring coaching weight room accident. The 30-year-old right-hander additionally wound up being shut down for the rest of the season in early August, after posting a stellar 1.88 ERA throughout his earlier 11 begins relationship again to June 1, attributable to proper shoulder irritation. All indications heading into the offseason are that he’ll be absolutely wholesome heading into spring coaching, following an injury-plagued 2023 marketing campaign the place he was restricted to simply 17 begins. He’ll be a preferred middle-round bounce-back candidate in fantasy drafts subsequent spring.

** Manny Machado nonetheless managed to achieve the 30-homer threshold for the second straight season regardless of taking part in by a lingering proper elbow subject for almost all of the 2023 marketing campaign, which prevented him from taking part in third base in the course of the closing month of the yr, and in the end required offseason surgical procedure. The surgical process carries a 4-6 months restoration timeline, so there’s a robust chance he winds up lacking the outset of subsequent season. It’ll knock his draft-day acquisition price down barely in fantasy drafts subsequent spring, however he’s been one of many extra dependable four-category fantasy stalwarts for practically a decade at this juncture.

** There are only a few underrated pitchers within the present panorama, however Nick Martinez is perhaps certainly one of them. The unheralded 33-year-old veteran right-hander has excelled the final two seasons as a flexible swingman in San Diego, compiling a pristine 3.45 ERA, 1.27 WHIP and 201/81 Ok/BB ratio throughout 216 2/3 innings (110 appearances, 19 begins). Barring an onslaught of free agent acquisitions, he figures to open subsequent spring as a full-fledged member of the Padres’ beginning rotation, and will probably be a worthwhile late-round choice for fantasy managers, particularly in deeper combined leagues.

** Fernando Tatis Jr. didn’t present any indicators of rust in his return from lacking the complete 2022 season attributable to harm and a performance-enhancing drug suspension, ending with a .770 OPS with 25 homers and 29 stolen bases throughout 141 contests. The 24-year-old fantasy celebrity will probably be a first-round choice in fantasy drafts subsequent spring and possesses the ultra-rare mixture of an extremely-high practical flooring, whereas additionally providing an awfully wide selection of outcomes concerning his potential upside and draw back. If all the pieces comes collectively, it’s practical that Tatis Jr. might wind up ending as the highest hitter in fantasy baseball subsequent season.

Key Free Agents

Blake Snell, Josh Hader, Gary Sánchez

Team Needs

There aren’t any simple solutions, however the Padres’ entrance workplace is seemingly going to should roll the cube on some low-cost offseason acquisitions at a number of offensive positions, along with bracing for the potential lack of each their main beginning rotation anchor and elite nearer. It’s throughout the realm of chance that they handle to retain each Snell and Hader, however that looks like a protracted shot. It wouldn’t be shocking to see them make a severe run at some high-profile free brokers in an effort to capitalize on the ultimate season earlier than Soto reaches free company, nevertheless it’s doable they’ll wind up taking a step again and pivoting in direction of a long-term rebuilding effort. The most certainly end result can be to pivot in direction of some lower-cost stopgap options to interchange each Snell and Hader, whereas additionally making an effort to signal Soto to an enormous contract extension. There’s sufficient expertise right here to check a deep postseason run, nevertheless it’s clear that San Diego is getting into a little bit of a transitional part this offseason.