The San Diego Padres face the incredibly challenging task of facing the back-to-back World Series champion Los Angeles Dodgers in the National League West. Many would say the race for first place is over before the first pitch is even thrown, but the Padres are not the team to concede anything to their hated rivals.
Realistically, it will be difficult to beat the Dodgers in a 162-game race to the division title, and it won't be easy to gain an advantage over the Dodgers in any playoff series. But the Padres have plenty to offer with Fernando Tatis Jr. and Manny Machado leading the way. First-year Padres manager Craig Stammen wants to create a new environment, perhaps one that former manage Mike Shildt was not capable of delivering.
The Padres have a slew of other weapons at their disposal, and that includes Jake Cronenworth, Xander Bogaerts, Jackson Merrill as well as pitchers Nick Pivetta, Michael King, Joe Musgrove and one of the best bullpens in either league.
However, the Padres said goodbye to Luis Arraez, and that's a change they will regret as the season moves along. Arraez is not a slugger of any kind. He represents old-school baseball because he gets his bat on the ball and can hit for a high average. That no longer seems to be valued. Instead, Arraez will likely torture the Padres as he gets his base hits for the division rival San Francisco Giants.
Arraez is clearly an old-school player
Arraez has played 7 seasons in the big leagues, including the majority of the last 2 with the Padres. In another era, Arraez would be considered a very valuable tool in the lineup because he knows how to make contact and put the ball in play. This used to be considered one of the top aspects of a hitter — but that is no longer the case.
Stammen has never managed yet the Padres have put him in charge of their dugout. He is expected to be a new-school leader who wants players who can get on base with walks and also drive the ball over the fence. Arraez is not this player and he has no chance of becoming one like that.
However, he can find the gaps and can be counted on to get base hits. He has a lifetime slash line of .317/.363/.413. Arraez did not have a stellar 2025 season, as his average fell to .292, and that was the worst mark of his career.
He also had 30 doubles, 8 home runs and 61 runs batted in. The 29-year-old is likely to bounce back to his best form, and he will be missed by Tatis, Machado, Cronenworth, Bogaerts and Merrill in the Padres lineup.
Arraez sent a message with every at bat
They will miss him because of his consistency and the message that he sent every time he came up to the plate. He sent a message to everyone on the roster that he was going to battle to get a hit every time he came up to the plate. Arraez was not looking for a walk, but he has clearly mastered the art of hitting.
He knew how to get his bat on the ball on the pitch that was low and away yet still in the strike zone. He excelled at fouling off pitches until he got one he could serve to left field, drive in the gaps or pull a hard line drive. Every time Arraez came to the plate, he was reminding his teammates and management of how the game used to be played on a regular basis. He regularly planted seeds in the minds of those around him that it's important to put the ball in play and get base hits.
Additional losses could also hurt
The Padres hope to remain a contender, but there have been additional losses besides Arraez that could hurt their chances of getting back to the postseason for a third consecutive season — let alone running down the Dodgers for 1st place.
One of the more underrated losses is versatile Ryan O'Hearn, who signed a 2-year contract with the Pirates. O'Hearn can play 1st base or either of the corner outfield positions.
The 32-year-old O'Hearn came to the Padres in a midseason trade with the Baltimore Orioles last year. He had 17 home runs and 63 RBIs for the season and he slashed .281/.366/.437. O'Hearn should be a valuable tool for an improved Pirates team this season. He could have been a valuable player coming off the bench for the Padres.
There is also no doubt that the Padres will miss reliever Robert Suarez, who signed a 3-year contract with the Atlanta Braves. Suarez had 40 saves for the Padres last season while pitching 69.2 inning and appearing in 70 games. He had a 2.97 earned run average and struck out 75 batters.
Suarez also had an excellent 2024 season with the Padres, and he appears to be the kind of pitcher that has come into his own later in his career.
The Padres will miss these two players, but the loss of Arraez will sting throughout the 2026 season.
