The San Diego Padres completed one of the biggest trades in MLB history by acquiring generational talent Juan Soto. He is on a short-term deal only, so the Padres' front office knows they need to move quickly and add the supplementary pieces that would propel them to World Series consideration. Xander Bogaerts, Nelson Cruz, and Seth Lugo were some players signed in the offseason who played a vital role this season.
Manny Machado and Yu Darvish will continue propelling San Diego as the leaders in the batting and pitching departments, respectively. Even with their NLCS appearance last year, the more important news is welcoming stud Fernando Tatis Jr. back to the fold sometime in the middle of the season. The surplus of shortstops will likely mean he will play in an outfield position, but that remains to be seen.
Without Tatis Jr., a few injuries, and position openings, these are some position battles to watch out for in Spring Training.
Right field
Juan Soto was the primary starter at the right field when he was added last season. It still has not been decided if Soto will play left or right field, but it will be better for him if he is only assigned one position. When Tatis Jr. returns, he can be a terrific option in the right field, so putting Soto in left for the start of the year is ideal. Now, it opens up a starting slot at right field for the early juncture of the season.
Free-agent signing Adam Engel is still rehabbing a calf injury, so he might not be healthy enough to start. Jurickson Profar has left the Padres, so their choices are down to Jose Azocar and David Dahl. Both individuals did not have terrific 2022 performances, but their Spring Training has been respectable. Another option that can be considered is Brandon Dixon.
The position battle at the right field will come down to the final moments of Spring Training, and it will be interesting to see who will have the head start. Padres fans might wonder why Nelson Cruz is not being considered but gone are the days when he would play in the field, as he is now a full-time DH.
Pitching
The desired outcome and numbers by the San Diego pitchers are still far from their goals. Sure, they have Yu Darvish, Blake Snell, and Josh Hader, but it is a question mark already after that. Joe Musgrove will likely miss the early juncture of 2023 because of a toe injury, so they must fill in his spot as the third starter. Furthermore, their starting rotation still needs to be set after the trio of Darvish, Snell, and Musgrove.
An ideal projection would be slotting Michael Wacha at No. 4 and Nick Martinez at No.5., but it means that Adrian Morejon and Seth Lugo will not receive consistent starts with the Padres. Even with a stacked pitching staff, they can decide to rotate six guys as starters, so that it will be an interesting decision for manager Bob Melvin.
Josh Hader will still be the closer with their bullpen, but his performance is subpar compared to his dominant self. It might have been a slow adjustment period for him, but he will bounce back in 2023. Robert Suarez, Luis Garcia, and Steven Wilson will be fantastic options from the ‘pen, but it seems bleak. The competition is stiff with their other relievers as they have minor league competition, such as Michael Baez or Jose Castillo.
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