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<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/padres-news-matt-williams-padres-3b-coach-mlb-all-star-has-cancer');   ga('set', 'title', 'Padres 3B coach, former Giants All-Star Matt Williams diagnosed with colon cancer');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/Padres-news-San-Diego-3B-coach-former-Giants-All-Star-Matt-Williams-diagnosed-with-colon-cancer.jpg"></figure><h1>Padres 3B coach, former Giants All-Star Matt Williams diagnosed with colon cancer</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2023-03-29T14:14:06-07:00">March 29th, 2:14pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2023-03-29T14:14:06-07:00">March 29th, 2:14pm</time><address><a href="https://joeymistretta.wordpress.com">Joey Mistretta</a>Joey Mistretta is a sports writer/editor who covers multiple sports. Notably, Mistretta covers baseball, basketball, and football. He is originally from a small town in Southern California. Mistretta graduated college with a degree in broadcast journalism from Biola University.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">MLB</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>San Diego Padres third base coach and five-time MLB All-Star Matt Williams <a href="https://twitter.com/Alden_Gonzalez/status/1641170907619274752" rel="noopener">was diagnosed</a> with colon cancer, per Alden Gonzalez. Padres’ manager Bob Melvin broke the devastating news and called Williams one of the toughest people he’s ever met, per Gonzalez as well. Williams will reportedly be with San Diego on Opening Day, but will then take a leave of absence.</p><p>Williams, 57, <a href="https://news.yahoo.com/padres-3b-coach-williams-colon-204921125.html?fr=sycsrp_catchall" rel="noopener">addressed the situation</a> on Wednesday, per Bernie Wilson of the Associated Press, via Yahoo News.</p><p>“I don’t have any symptoms, I don’t have any issues, but at this point it’s important that we get it out of there,” Williams said.</p><p>Matt Williams spent 10 of his 17 years in the big leagues with the San Francisco Giants. He made the All-Star team four times with the Giants. Williams finished second in MVP voting during the 1994 campaign, and won four Gold Gloves during the course of his career.</p><p>Williams spent the 1997 season in Cleveland with the Indians (now Guardians), helping them reach the World Series. However, Cleveland ultimately fell short in Game 7 of the ’97 Fall Classic against the Florida (now Miami) Marlins.</p><p>Matt Williams joined the Arizona Diamondbacks in 1998. He spent the remainder of his career in Arizona, ultimately retiring in 2003. He made his final All-Star team in 1999 with the Diamondbacks, and played a role in their 2001 World Series-winning season.</p><p>Following his playing career, Williams managed the Washington Nationals from 2014-2015 before joining the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/padres-news-bold-predictions-fernando-tatis-jr-manny-machado" rel="noopener">Padres</a>‘ coaching staff last year.</p><p>For now, all thoughts and prayers from around the sports world are with Matt Williams. We will provide updates on Williams as they are made available.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Padres 3B coach, former Giants All-Star Matt Williams diagnosed with colon cancer

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/mlb-odds-2023-national-league-mvp-prediction-and-pick');   ga('set', 'title', 'MLB Odds: 2023 National League MVP prediction and pick');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/mlb-odds-2023-national-league-mvp-prediction-and-pick.jpg"></figure><h1>MLB Odds: 2023 National League MVP prediction and pick</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2023-03-28T14:53:49-07:00">March 28th, 2:53pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2023-03-28T14:54:38-07:00">March 28th, 2:54pm</time><address><a>Griffin Conant</a></address><h3 class="op-kicker">Betting</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Can you feel it baseball fans? MLB Opening Day is right around the corner as the boys of summer are only two days away from first pitch! With the start of a fresh campaign in the works, which standout names in the National League have the best odds to win the 2023 NL MVP? Without further ado, let’s take a look at our MLB Odds <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/sports/betting" rel="noopener">series</a> where our 2023 National league MVP prediction and pick will be unveiled.</p><p>A year ago, plenty of NL studs were more than worthy of taking home MVP honors, but St. Louis Cardinals first-baseman Paul Goldschmidt was ultimately the most deserving candidate as he took home the hardware with a .317 average, 35 home runs, and 115 RBIS driven in. Without a doubt, this award has stood the test of time over the years with so many legendary names taking home the MVP. With that being said, who will be next to etch their name in the history books and call themselves the top player of the National League in 2023?</p><p><b><i>Here are the <a href="https://sportsbook.fanduel.com/navigation/mlb" rel="noopener">MLB odds</a>, </i></b><b><i>courtesy of FanDuel.</i></b><b><i> </i></b></p><h2><b>MLB Odds: 2023 National League MVP Odds</b></h2><p>Juan Soto: +550</p><p>Mookie Betts: +950</p><p>Ronald Acuna Jr.: +1000</p><p>Fernando Tatis Jr.: +1000</p><p>Trea Turner: +1100</p><h2><b>Why Juan Soto Could Win NL MVP</b></h2><p>One of the more premier hitters that exist in today’s game, Juan Soto’s first year in 2022 as a San Diego Padre was anything but smooth, as the former Washington National took a while to adjust to the dense wind blowing in from the ocean at pitcher-friendly Petco Park. After slashing only .247 and hitting an underwhelming 27 home runs for his standards in 2022, “Childish Bambino” should be expected to endure a bounce-back season in the heart of a dangerous San Diego lineup.</p><p>Remember, it was only three years ago when Soto burst onto the scene as a youthful 21-year-old when he raked opposing pitching for a .282 average to go along with 95 RBIs en route to a Washington Nationals World Series championship. Believe it or not, there is a hunch that Soto’s ability hasn’t even reached its max potential at the age of 24. Not to mention, but now that he will serve as the main superstar on a contending San Diego Padres squad, it certainly begins to make sense why Soto could take home the NL MVP hardware by season’s end.</p><h2><b>Why Mookie Betts Could Win NL MVP</b></h2><p>Outside of maybe Freddie Freeman, Los Angeles Dodgers outfielder Mookie Betts is the star of the show in Hollywood and will no doubt provide plenty of fireworks and highlight reels at Dodger Stadium this season. Known for his uncanny athletic ability, blazing speed, and his all-around hitting ability that helps him make contact while displaying tremendous power at the plate, it is hard to pick out a weakness in Betts’ overall game.</p><p>After finishing fifth in last year’s MVP voting with 154 votes, there is no question that Los Angeles will be counting on Betts even more in 2023 after a handful of longtime Dodgers left the team in free agency. For starters, Betts is about as consistent as they come in the MVP race, as he is among the names of MVP candidates annually since his first year in the league back in 2014. Although the Dodgers lineup won’t be as dominant as in the past, Betts will certainly have his chances to replicate his career-high 35 home runs from last season in an attempt to win MVP for the first time since he won it in Boston five years ago.</p><h2>Why Ronald Acuna Jr. Could Win NL MVP</h2><p>Without a doubt, Atlanta Braves right-fielder Ronald Acuna Jr. is eager to put last season behind him and remind the baseball world just how lethal he can be out on the diamond. Of course, 2022 wasn’t kind to the 25-year-old outfielder, as injuries forced Acuna Jr. to miss out on 43 games. In fact, if there is one area of concern for Acuna Jr and his MVP chances, it is the fact that he hasn’t been close to 100% with his health since the 2019 season, as he has missed more than 150 games over the last few seasons.</p><p>Nevertheless, rumors around Spring Training and the Braves camp is that Acuna Jr is more than “motivated” to take that next step into being a legitimate MVP threat in the National League. Clearly, if this young Atlanta stud can get healthy and return to the type of play that he exhibited only a couple of seasons ago, then Acuna Jr could definitely have what it takes to become the first Atlanta Brave to win the award since 1999 when Chipper Jones won the National League MVP.</p><h2>Why Fernando Tatis Jr. Could Win NL MVP</h2><p>Last and certainly not least, the troubled but extremely talented San Diego shortstop is possibly the biggest wildcard when it comes to capturing NL MVP honors. Of course, Tatis Jr. made a name for himself when he came onto the scene as one of the top, young superstars to grace an MLB diamond as he erupted for a league-leading 42 home runs at his middle-infielder position. However, he has had difficulties in staying on the field.</p><p>After breaking a bone in his hand prior to the start of the 2022 season, he shortly after was famously suspended for violating the MLB PED policy which resulted in him being suspended 80 games in August of 2022. The downside of picking Tatis Jr. to win the Most Valuable Player is that he is scheduled to miss the first 23 games of the 2023 season as well to complete his suspension sentence. Regardless of not being able to suit up for play very often over the last couple of years, let’s not forget how dynamic of a player Tatis Jr is. A five-tool player that can do it all on the field, there are very few players around the league that can match up with the Padres’ shortstop from a pure talent perspective.</p><h2><b>Final 2023 National League MVP Prediction &amp; Pick</b></h2><p>This could be the year where the San Diego Padres make a push at being the best team in not only the National League but in all of baseball. If this happens, then it is hard not to imagine Juan Soto winning his first-ever NL MVP award in 2023.</p><p><b>Final 2023 National League MVP Prediction &amp; Pick: Juan Soto +550</b></p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

MLB Odds: 2023 National League MVP prediction and pick

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/dodgers-news-clayton-kershaw-dodgers-beat-padres');   ga('set', 'title', 'Clayton Kershaw wants all the smoke from Dodgers-Padres rivalry');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/Clayton-Kershaw-gets-real-on-Los-Angeles-Padres-rivalry-ahead-of-Opening-Day.jpg"></figure><h1>Clayton Kershaw wants all the smoke from Dodgers-Padres rivalry</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2023-03-28T11:05:40-07:00">March 28th, 11:05am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2023-03-28T11:10:55-07:00">March 28th, 11:10am</time><address><a href="https://joeymistretta.wordpress.com">Joey Mistretta</a>Joey Mistretta is a sports writer/editor who covers multiple sports. Notably, Mistretta covers baseball, basketball, and football. He is originally from a small town in Southern California. Mistretta graduated college with a degree in broadcast journalism from Biola University.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">MLB</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The San Diego Padres made a number of significant moves during the offseason. The Padres bolstered their roster and are prepared to compete with the Los Angeles Dodgers. Freddie <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/dodgers-news-freddie-freeman-admires-padres-spending-spree" rel="noopener">Freeman even admitted</a> that he was impressed by San Diego’s spending-spree. Clayton Kershaw commended the Padres, but also <a href="https://twitter.com/billplunkettocr/status/1640770205369647104" rel="noopener">dropped an honest admission</a> that will get <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/dodgers-news-dustin-may-healthy-opening-day-los-angeles-fans" rel="noopener">Dodgers fans hyped up</a> for the season, per Bill Plunkett of the <i>Orange County Register</i>.</p><p>“What they’ve done is great… They’ve gotten big-name guys. They’ve got good players,” Kershaw said. “It’s great for the game and it’s great for players individually. I still think we can beat them.”</p><p>Clayton Kershaw and the Dodgers are fresh off a 111-win 2022 campaign. Los Angeles was ultimately defeated by the Padres in the playoffs though. San Diego had previously struggled against the Dodgers, but they are confident heading into the 2023 season.</p><p>The Dodgers-Padres rivalry will be enhanced in 2023. Both teams are looking to prove something.</p><p>LA is looking to reestablish themselves as the team to beat in the NL West. The division has ran through him for the past decade and the Dodgers don’t expect that to change.</p><p>The Padres, on the other hand, want to prove they can compete with the Dodgers. San Diego has enough talent to do so, but Los Angeles finds ways to win during the regular season.</p><p>The NL West division race will be exciting throughout the year. Both ball clubs are likely going to make the playoffs, but the division title is up for grabs.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Clayton Kershaw wants all the smoke from Dodgers-Padres rivalry

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/dodgers-news-freddie-freeman-admires-padres-spending-spree');   ga('set', 'title', 'Dodgers’ Freddie Freeman drops surprisingly ‘happy’ take on Padres’ spending spree');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/dodgers-news-freddie-freeman-drops-surprisingly-happy-take-on-padres-spending-spree.jpg"></figure><h1>Dodgers’ Freddie Freeman drops surprisingly ‘happy’ take on Padres’ spending spree</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2023-03-28T06:53:51-07:00">March 28th, 6:53am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2023-03-28T06:53:51-07:00">March 28th, 6:53am</time><address><a>Dan Fappiano</a>Dan Fappiano is a Connecticut based sports journalist and a graduate of both Tunxis Community College and Central Connecticut State University. Dan has spent time covering high school and professional sports in both the print and online medium. He hopes to see his beloved Chicago Bears win a Super Bowl someday.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">MLB</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Los Angeles Dodgers first baseman Freddie <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/dodgers-make-crucial-freddie-freeman-move-after-wbc-injury" rel="noopener">Freeman has taken</a> notice of the San Diego Padres rampant free agency spending this offseason. While the Padres are loading up in part to take down the Dodgers, <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/dodgers-news-freddie-freeman-breaks-silence-wbc-hamstring-injury" rel="noopener">Freeman seems to</a> have welcomed the challenge.</p><p>San Diego has added talented players such as Xander Bogaerts, Matt Carpenter and Michael Wacha. They extended Manny Machado on a long-term contract. Overall, the Padres now have the <a href="https://www.spotrac.com/mlb/payroll/" rel="noopener">third-highest</a> payroll in the MLB at almost $237 million. But for Freeman, it’s exactly what he wants to see. He’s obviously rooting for the Dodgers, but <a href="https://theathletic.com/4355576/2023/03/28/dodgers-embracing-different-look/" rel="noopener">he doesn’t mind</a> seeing teams around the MLB – and even in his own division – make a playoff push, via Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic.</p><p>“It actually makes me happy as a baseball fan,” Freeman said of the Padres’ offseason. “Owners going for it. I love people going for it. We’re all in a competition to win, and when people not just in uniform are trying to win, it’s exciting.”</p><p>While he admires the Padres’ spending, Freeman is focused on the Dodgers. Despite their new payroll, Freeman said that Los Angeles is competing against themselves rather than San Diego. They might look from afar, but Freeman and the Dodgers are focused on themselves. He knows that LA can only control their team and can’t focus on the Padres’ strategy.</p><p>Still, San Diego is attempting to make a run at the Dodgers’ crown in the NL West. Freddie Freeman has been impressed with the Padres’ adjustments. However, he knows for a fact what Los Angeles is cooking up for this upcoming season. He’s expecting another deep postseason run with the Dodgers, even if the Padres stand in his way.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Dodgers’ Freddie Freeman drops surprisingly ‘happy’ take on Padres’ spending spree

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/padres-news-juan-sotos-opening-day-message-fire-up-fans');   ga('set', 'title', 'Padres star Juan Soto’s Opening Day message will fire up fans');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/Juan-Soto_s-Opening-Day-message-will-fire-up-fans.jpg"></figure><h1>Padres star Juan Soto’s Opening Day message will fire up fans</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2023-03-27T13:09:42-07:00">March 27th, 1:09pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2023-03-27T13:09:42-07:00">March 27th, 1:09pm</time><address><a>Ryan Bologna</a>Ryan Bologna is an author at ClutchPoints. He studied journalism and communication at UConn.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">MLB</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Opening Day is approaching in MLB, and <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/padres-news-bold-predictions-fernando-tatis-jr-manny-machado" rel="noopener">San Diego Padres</a> star Juan Soto is <a href="https://twitter.com/sdutKevinAcee/status/1640432274662633472?s=20" rel="noopener">ready and excited</a> for the start of the season, according to Kevin Acee of San Diego Union-Tribune.</p><p>“I am really excited to be healthy to play Opening Day,” Juan Soto said, via Acee.</p><p>Soto spent a good part of the spring with Team Dominican Republic in the World Baseball Classic with his teammate <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/padres-news-details-emerge-on-manny-machados-backloaded-350-million-contract" rel="noopener">Manny Machado</a>, but now he is back with the Padres and preparing for the start of the season. He has been dealing with an oblique issue, but is said to be <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/padres-news-juan-soto-xander-bogaerts-opening-day-injury" rel="noopener">ready to go</a> for Opening Day.</p><p>The Padres will open the season at home against the Colorado Rockies on Thursday.</p><p>Soto was good when he was traded to the Padres in the middle of the 2022 season, but it was not to the level that fans have been used to from his days with the Washington Nationals. <a href="https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/s/sotoju01.shtml" rel="noopener">He posted</a> a .236 batting average with a .388 on-base percentage with a .778 OPS and 130 OPS+ in 52 games with the Padres last year. Soto’s OPS+ with the Nationals was 159 before he was traded.</p><p>Soto himself said that he is healthy going into Opening Day. That, along with familiarity in where he will be playing is something that should give Padres fans optimism regarding Soto’s 2023 season.</p><p>Soto, along with Manny Machado, Fernando Tatis Jr. and <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/padres-news-juan-soto-xander-bogaerts-opening-day-injury" rel="noopener">Xander Bogaerts</a> are expected to do the heavy-lifting for the Padres on offense. Machado seems settled in to San Diego. Fernando Tatis Jr. will miss the first 20 games of the season, but he is a proven talent as well. Xander Bogaerts will have to adjust to playing in a new park, but he is a proven hitter as well. With Soto healthy and ready to go, Padres fans have plenty of reason for optimism.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Padres star Juan Soto’s Opening Day message will fire up fans

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/padres-news-bold-predictions-fernando-tatis-jr-manny-machado');   ga('set', 'title', '3 bold predictions for Fernando Tatis Jr, Padres ahead of Opening Day');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/Screen-Shot-2023-03-26-at-12.41.06-AM.png"></figure><h1>3 bold predictions for Fernando Tatis Jr, Padres ahead of Opening Day</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2023-03-25T22:01:03-07:00">March 25th, 10:01pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2023-03-25T22:01:03-07:00">March 25th, 10:01pm</time><address><a>Andrew Meyers</a></address><h3 class="op-kicker">Editorials</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>After falling well short of expectations in 2021, <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/padres-biggest-questions-need-answers-2023-opening-day" rel="noopener">the San Diego Padres played</a> their way into the postseason and fell three wins short of a World Series appearance in 2022. Already boasting a roster full of all-star talents like <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/manny-machado-fernando-tatis-jr-and-padres-big-4-set-for-spring-training-debut" rel="noopener">Juan Soto and Manny Machado,</a> the Padres went out this offseason and signed star shortstop Xander Bogaerts.</p><p>Despite signing one of the top free agents on the market and making a run at the National League pennant last season, the biggest storyline <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/padres-news-details-emerge-on-manny-machados-backloaded-350-million-contract" rel="noopener">for the Padres in 2023</a> is the return of Fernando Tatis Jr. The Padres star will make his long-awaited return in late April, gearing up San Diego for a potential championship run.</p><p>With a projected win total of 93.5 wins according to FanDuel, <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/padres-news-san-diego-dealt-brutal-injury-update-on-key-reliever" rel="noopener">the Padres enter 2023</a> with high expectations. Anything short of a return to the NLCS could be seen as a disappointment for San Diego.</p><h2>3. Padres win 100 games for the first time in franchise history.</h2><p>For the first time in Major League Baseball history, all 30 teams will play each other at least once throughout the course of the regular season. It gives fans a chance to see some stellar interleague matchups that they normally wouldn’t see, but it also gives the top-end teams in the league a chance to beat up on the minnows of the league.</p><p>The Padres are one of those top-end teams, specifically on the offensive side of the ball. Offense travels well in baseball and the Padres are no exception. San Diego scored more than 100 runs on the road in 2022 than they did at home, and had a team OPS 52 points higher away from home.</p><p>The Padres should start off the year with a bang with five games at home against the Colorado Rockies and the Arizona Diamondbacks, two teams who won a combined 142 games last season.</p><p>Perhaps the most favorable stretch of the season for the Padres comes at the end of June. They’ll face the Washington Nationals, Pittsburgh Pirates and Cincinnati Reds consecutively for nine total games. The three accounted for a .368 win percentage in 2022.</p><p>Last year, four teams won 100 games in the regular season. If the stars stay healthy and the role players contribute around them, <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/padres-news-juan-soto-xander-bogaerts-opening-day-injury" rel="noopener">the Padres will win</a> a <i>minimum </i>of 90 games. With the talent on this roster, 100 wins is a very reachable threshold this season.</p><h2>2. Yu Darvish leads the NL in strikeouts.</h2><p>Throughout his career, <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/padres-news-yu-darvish-6-year-108-million-contract-extension" rel="noopener">Yu Darvish has been</a> one of the most underrated pitchers in baseball. Since his MLB debut in 2012, Darvish has consistently been among the best strikeout artists on the mound, with a career strikeout per nine innings of 10.8.</p><p>In his 10 MLB seasons, Darvish has topped 200 strikeouts four times and averaged 198 strikeouts across the last two seasons. While his strikeout metrics were slightly down in 2022 (career-low 9.1 K/per nine) Darvish finished 7th in the NL in punchouts and logged the second-most innings of his career (194.2).</p><p>The Padres rewarded Darvish in the offseason with a six-year, $108 million contract extension, keeping him in San Diego through his age-42 season.</p><p>Despite his struggles in the 2023 World Baseball Classic with Japan, expect a rejuvenated Darvish on the mound for the Padres in 2023. Darvish is a gamer who knows how to pitch deep into ball games. If he can get close to 200 innings again this season, Darvish should easily get to 200 strikeouts. Pair that with some down years from some of the other top pitchers in the NL and Yu Darvish has a real shot at being the NL strikeout king in 2023.</p><h2>1. Padres acquire Corbin Burnes at the trade deadline.</h2><p>No pun intended, this one may be way out of left field. Until you start breaking it down piece by piece.</p><p>First off, Corbin Burnes is one of the five best starting pitchers in baseball. He followed up his 2021 NL Cy Young Award-winning season in 2022 by making 33 starts and leading the NL in strikeouts, finishing seventh in NL Cy Young voting.</p><p>Burnes’ current team, the Milwaukee Brewers, should be playoff contenders this season. Baseball is a very unpredictable sport though and despite the talent that the Brewers possess, a bad start to the season or a 2-10 two-week stretch in mid-July could send the franchise into a firesale.</p><p>Burnes is eligible to hit free agency after the 2024 season and there are already fractures in his relationship with the Brewers after they low-balled him during the arbitration process in February. Milwaukee also consistently has one of the lowest payrolls in baseball, leading some around the league to believe that they won’t offer Burnes the money he deserves whenever long-term contract negotiations presumably take place.</p><p>Padres general manager A.J. Preller was the most aggressive GM in the league last trade deadline, striking a deal for the best player on the market in Juan Soto. He also made a deal with the Brewers, trading for all-star closer Josh Hader.</p><p>With those deals, it’s going to be hard for Preller and the Padres to come up with the trade capital to land a player of Burnes’ caliber this season. The Padres have the 23rd-ranked farm system entering 2023 according to MLB.com, with just two prospects in the top 100.</p><p>Stranger things have happened before though. If all the stars align, the Padres are in contention with the Brewers far out of it and Burnes maybe having a down year to his standards, don’t be surprised if Preller picks up the phone and tries to strike another blockbuster deal.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

3 bold predictions for Fernando Tatis Jr, Padres ahead of Opening Day

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/padres-news-san-diego-dealt-brutal-injury-update-on-key-reliever');   ga('set', 'title', 'Padres dealt brutal injury update on key reliever');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/Padres-Robert-Suarez.jpg"></figure><h1>Padres dealt brutal injury update on key reliever</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2023-03-25T16:30:04-07:00">March 25th, 4:30pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2023-03-25T16:30:38-07:00">March 25th, 4:30pm</time><address><a>Rexwell Villas</a>A Communications Arts graduate from the University of Santo Tomas in the Philippines, Rex claims to have JR Smith's conscience with his shot selection. He has won a basketball, a baseball, and a football championship in fantasy all within a year.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">MLB</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The 2023 MLB regular season is coming right up with less than a week before <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/padres-news-juan-soto-xander-bogaerts-opening-day-injury" rel="noopener">Opening Day</a>, but the San Diego Padres might already be <a href="https://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/sports/padres/story/2023-03-25/padres-robert-suarez-injury-yu-darvish-joe-musgrove-juan-soto-austin-nola" rel="noopener">down a key member</a> of their bullpen by the time they play their first game of the campaign.</p><p>Via Kevin Acee of The San Diego Union-Tribune:</p><p><i>“Robert Suarez, the right-handed setup man who was instrumental in the team’s postseason run and signed a five-year, $46 million contract in November, has been sidelined by what is described as arm “stiffness” and joint inflammation. The team’s inclination at this point is to place him on the injured list at the start of the season.”</i></p><p>Suarez has not seen any action since March 12. He underwent tests to get a full picture of what’s wrong with his arm, and while MRIs on his arm and bicep haven’t revealed any structural damage, the Padres could still practice caution and keep him out until he’s 100% ready to give it a go again on the mound.</p><p>If he gets put on the injured list, Suarez can make his return to the Padres’ active roster as early as April 7, which would put him on track to make his 2023 MLB season debut during the San Diego series against the Arizona Diamondbacks at home.</p><p>Suarez appeared in a total of 45 games in 2022 when he recorded a 2.27 ERA to go with a 3.22 FIP and 1.049  WHIP across 47.2 innings. He also posted a 166 ERA+ and a .248 BABIP. He was rewarded by the Padres in November 2022 with a five-year deal worth $46 million.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Padres dealt brutal injury update on key reliever

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/padres-news-juan-soto-xander-bogaerts-opening-day-injury');   ga('set', 'title', 'Padres get positive Juan Soto, Xander Bogaerts injury updates');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/Padres-news-San-Diego-gets-positive-Juan-Soto-Xander-Bogaerts-injury-updates.jpg"></figure><h1>Padres get positive Juan Soto, Xander Bogaerts injury updates</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2023-03-25T16:08:04-07:00">March 25th, 4:08pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2023-03-25T16:10:07-07:00">March 25th, 4:10pm</time><address><a href="https://joeymistretta.wordpress.com">Joey Mistretta</a>Joey Mistretta is a writer/editor who covers multiple sports. Notably, Mistretta covers baseball, basketball, and football. He is originally from a small town in Southern California and spent the majority of his time growing up playing baseball and basketball. He graduated college with a degree in broadcast journalism. In addition to writing, Mistretta runs a sports Youtube channel and works as a seasonal play-by-play sports broadcaster.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">MLB</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>San Diego Padres’ stars Juan Soto and Xander Bogaerts are both dealing with injuries ahead of Opening Day. Fortunately for San Diego, both players are <a href="https://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/sports/padres/story/2023-03-25/padres-robert-suarez-injury-yu-darvish-joe-musgrove-juan-soto-austin-nola" rel="noopener">reportedly working towards returning</a> before the start of the season, per Kevin Acee of The San Diego Union-Tribune.</p><p>The Padres are hopeful that Soto, who’s dealing with an oblique ailment, can play in the final game of Cactus League action on Monday. Bogaerts’ exact date for his return wasn’t specified, but he’s hoping to return soon from his wrist injury.</p><p>The Padres have lofty expectations <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/padres-biggest-questions-need-answers-2023-opening-day" rel="noopener">for the 2023 campaign</a>. Soto, Bogaerts, Manny Machado, and Fernando Tatis Jr. are expected to lead an extremely potent lineup. Three of those four players are under contract for years to come as well.</p><p>Machado recently <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/padres-news-details-emerge-on-manny-machados-backloaded-350-million-contract" rel="noopener">signed a long-term extension</a> with the ball club. Bogaerts was signed to an 11-year deal during the offseason. And Tatis Jr. previously inked a long-term extension with the Padres. Soto is the only player who’s future is still up in the air. There have been whispers about a potential contract extension, but nothing has come to fruition as of this story’s publication.</p><p>These four players are capable of taking the Padres a long way without question. The Los Angeles Dodgers still pose a threat in the National League West though. And even if San Diego gets by LA, they will have to deal with talented teams in the playoffs such as the St. Louis Cardinals, New York Mets, and Atlanta Braves.</p><p>Nevertheless, the Padres have plenty of confidence heading into the year. We will continue to monitor and provide injury updates on Juan Soto and Xander Bogaerts as they are made available.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Padres get positive Juan Soto, Xander Bogaerts injury updates

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/padres-news-details-emerge-on-manny-machados-backloaded-350-million-contract');   ga('set', 'title', 'Details emerge on Manny Machado’s backloaded $350 million Padres contract');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/Manny-Machado-Padres.jpg"></figure><h1>Details emerge on Manny Machado’s backloaded $350 million Padres contract</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2023-03-22T19:18:17-07:00">March 22nd, 7:18pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2023-03-22T19:19:25-07:00">March 22nd, 7:19pm</time><address><a>Rexwell Villas</a>A Communications Arts graduate from the University of Santo Tomas in the Philippines, Rex claims to have JR Smith's conscience with his shot selection. He has won a basketball, a baseball, and a football championship in fantasy all within a year.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">MLB</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Manny Machado is going to be with the San Diego Padres for a very long time. As it currently looks, Machado will likely spend the rest of his <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/manny-machado-fernando-tatis-jr-and-padres-big-4-set-for-spring-training-debut" rel="noopener">MLB career</a> with the Padres after signing an enormous deal with the team that’s worth <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/manny-machado-grading-padres-11-year-350-million-contract-extension" rel="noopener">$350 million</a> and will not expire until the end of the 2033 MLB campaign.</p><p>Apart from that deal. Manny Machado also gets a signing bonus worth $45 million that will be spread across the duration of the next 11 years, as <a href="https://twitter.com/JonHeyman/status/1638705421253849088" rel="noopener">noted</a> by MLB insider Jon Heyman. As for the contract itself, Manny Machado will receive bigger increments in the latter years of the deal’s life, beginning in the 2027 season when he is set to pocket $35 million. That will be the same amount Machado will earn from that point until the last year of the contract in the next decade.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">Manny Machado $350M/11 years, Padres<br>Signing Bonus – $45M, payable in 8 increments over 11 years</p><p>$13M – 2023<br>$13M- 2024<br>$13M – 2025<br>$21M – 2026<br>$35M – 2027<br>$35M – 2028<br>$35M – 2029<br>$35M – 2030<br>$35M – 2031<br>$35M – 2032<br>$35M – 2033</p><p>Player donates 1% of salary to club charity. FNTP</p><p>— Jon Heyman (@JonHeyman) <a href="https://twitter.com/JonHeyman/status/1638705421253849088?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 23, 2023</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></figure><p>While there are Padres fans who don’t feel good about the prospect of paying an old and diminished Manny Machado in his late 30s with big money, that sentiment could still change. That $35 million a year salary might not sound as expensive as it is today. In any case, the Padres need Machado to reward the team with great production going forward after committing a boatload of money to him.</p><p>Manny Machado has been an All-Star in each of his last two seasons, and a third could be coming in 2023. Over that two-year stretch, Machado has hit .<a href="https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/m/machama01.shtml" rel="noopener">288</a> and posted a .357 OBP and a .511 SLG along with a 145 OPS+ across 1,284 plate appearances. He also knocked out 60 home runs and drove 208 runs during that span.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Details emerge on Manny Machado’s backloaded $350 million Padres contract

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/manny-machado-fernando-tatis-jr-and-padres-big-4-set-for-spring-training-debut');   ga('set', 'title', 'Manny Machado, Fernando Tatis Jr., and Padres ‘big 4’ set for spring training debut');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/Manny-Machado-Fernando-Tatis-Jr.-and-San-Diego_s-_big-4_-set-for-spring-training-debut.jpg"></figure><h1>Manny Machado, Fernando Tatis Jr., and Padres ‘big 4’ set for spring training debut</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2023-03-18T11:08:21-07:00">March 18th, 11:08am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2023-03-18T11:08:21-07:00">March 18th, 11:08am</time><address><a>Owen Crisafulli</a>My name is Owen Crisafulli, and I recently received my Masters in Business Administration from Nichols College. Previously, I obtained my Bachelor's degree in Sport Management, and for awhile I ran my own sports website. Sports are my passion, and I thoroughly enjoy writing about my thoughts and opinions that are related to the game. I have been a lifelong fan of the major professional teams in Boston, and love discussing all topics surrounding those teams.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">MLB</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The San Diego Padres very nearly made it all the way to the World Series last season with only <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/israels-19-year-old-pitcher-mows-down-manny-machado-jeremy-pena-in-world-baseball-classic" rel="noopener">Manny Machado</a> and Juan Soto leading the way. Now, they have added Xander Bogaerts in free agency, and will be getting <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/padres-news-fernando-tatis-jr-spring-training-struggles-bob-melvin" rel="noopener">Fernando Tatis Jr.</a> back once he serves the <a href="https://www.mlb.com/news/fernando-tatis-jr-return-date-from-suspension-in-2023#:~:text=In%20total%2C%20Tatis%20will%20miss,first%2020%20games%20next%20season." rel="noopener">final 20 games</a> of his 80-game suspension. And for the first time since uniting these stars, they will be taking the field together in Spring Training for the Padres.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">Happy 🍯 Day<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/PadresST?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#PadresST</a> <a href="https://t.co/AgZbfC2f2Y">pic.twitter.com/AgZbfC2f2Y</a></p><p>— San Diego Padres (@Padres) <a href="https://twitter.com/Padres/status/1637115767878733827?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 18, 2023</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></figure><p>Talk about a star-studded lineup. Pitchers are going to have quite a bit of trouble getting through four of the best hitters in the league in succession to kick games off, and it’s not as if the rest of their lineup is bad either. On paper, this is one of the most fearsome lineups in the entire MLB, and it will be worth tuning into their upcoming outing to see how much havoc they are able to wreak.</p><p>Of course, it’s not set in stone that this lineup will immediately take the league by storm. As previously mentioned, Tatis will be missing time as he finishes serving his suspension, and after getting traded from the Washington Nationals, Juan Soto’s initial numbers with the Padres were fairly disappointing. It will take awhile for these guys to learn how to play alongside each other.</p><p>That doesn’t mean they won’t strike fear into the hearts of their opponents, and today is the first time we will get to see all of these guys in action together. While the game itself means nothing considering it’s just a Spring Training contest, this lineup could result in some must-see baseball, and it will be worth tuning in to get a glimpse of what they are capable of producing.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Manny Machado, Fernando Tatis Jr., and Padres ‘big 4’ set for spring training debut

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/world-baseball-classic-news-juan-soto-limited-but-in-team-dominicans-lineup');   ga('set', 'title', 'Juan Soto gets mixed bag of updates for Team Dominican in World Baseball Classic');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/Juan-Soto-gets-mixed-bag-of-updates-for-Team-Dominican.jpg"></figure><h1>Juan Soto gets mixed bag of updates for Team Dominican in World Baseball Classic</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2023-03-13T09:25:24-07:00">March 13th, 9:25am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2023-03-13T09:35:28-07:00">March 13th, 9:35am</time><address><a href="https://joeymistretta.wordpress.com">Joey Mistretta</a>Joey Mistretta is a writer/editor who covers multiple sports. Notably, Mistretta covers baseball, basketball, and football. He is originally from a small town in Southern California and spent the majority of his time growing up playing baseball and basketball. He graduated college with a degree in broadcast journalism. In addition to writing, Mistretta runs a sports Youtube channel and works as a seasonal play-by-play sports broadcaster.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">MLB</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>San Diego Padres’ star Juan <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/padres-news-juan-soto-still-dealing-with-calf-injury" rel="noopener">Soto previously dealt with</a> calf tightness in spring training. The injury placed his World Baseball Classic status in jeopardy, but Soto was ultimately cleared to play for <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/team-dominican-republic-roster-for-2023-world-baseball-classic" rel="noopener">Team Dominican Republic</a>. Soto is in the lineup for Monday’s game versus Nicaragua, however, <a href="https://twitter.com/BNightengale/status/1635309967770292227" rel="noopener">he is still facing restrictions</a>, per Bob Nightengale.</p><p>“San Diego #Padres star Juan Soto is in today’s Dominican Republic lineup, but can not start in back-to-back games, manager Rodney Linares says, because of restrictions by the Padres. He had left calf tightness his final few days in spring training camp, so Padres being cautious,” Nightengale wrote on Twitter.</p><p>Juan Soto is one of the best players on the team, but his inability to play in back-to-back games could prove to be a major detriment for Team Dominican Republic.</p><p>Soto appears to be recovering well from the calf ailment. The 24-year old led off the Dominican Republic’s Monday game with a single and now has three hits in the World Baseball Classic. He’s always been a pure hitter, but struggled with the bat at times last year. Soto maintained a strong OBP all season long but never quite found his footing at the plate. Perhaps he will return to his prior MVP-caliber level of play in 2023.</p><p>The Padres are counting on Juan Soto to play a pivotal role for them. San Diego is looking to compete with the Los Angeles Dodgers for the NL West division title. Soto, Manny Machado, Fernando Tatis Jr., and Xander Bogaerts highlight a powerful Padres lineup.</p><p>For now, however, Juan Soto will focus on Team Dominican and the World Baseball Classic.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Juan Soto gets mixed bag of updates for Team Dominican in World Baseball Classic

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/padres-2-position-battles-to-watch-in-spring-training');   ga('set', 'title', 'Padres: 2 position battles to watch in Spring Training');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/X-position-battles-to-watch-in-Spring-Training-1.jpeg"></figure><h1>Padres: 2 position battles to watch in Spring Training</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2023-03-11T19:40:58-08:00">March 11th, 7:40pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2023-03-11T19:40:58-08:00">March 11th, 7:40pm</time><address><a>Diego Vergel de Dios</a></address><h3 class="op-kicker">Mini-Editorials</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>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.</p><p><a href="https://clutchpoints.com/cubs-eric-hosmer-drops-strong-take-on-padres-star-manny-machados-baseball-hall-of-fame-odds" rel="noopener">Manny Machado and</a> 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.</p><p>Without Tatis Jr., a few injuries, and position openings, these are some position battles to watch out for in Spring Training.</p><h2><b>Right field</b></h2><p>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.</p><p>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.</p><p>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.</p><h2><b>Pitching</b></h2><p>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.</p><p>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.</p><p>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. </p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Padres: 2 position battles to watch in Spring Training

2023 SEASON STATS
BA	HR	RBI	OPS	SB
.313	1	9	0.976	3

2023 SEASON STATS
BA	HR	RBI	OPS	SB
.313	1	9	0.976	3

José
Azocar

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José
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