It’s difficult to assess the San Diego Padres’ season. When a team trades away one of its best players and employs a new manager, making the playoffs should be regarded a huge success. The oddsmakers did not have high expectations for this club either. As a result, a National League Division Series loss to a team in World Series or bust mentality should not detract from the Friars’ excellent 2024 season, right? Right?
Context is critical. Aside from Juan Soto’s departure, the major reason for concern about the Padres entering this season was how poorly they underperformed expectations in 2023. The team still had All-Star talent in its lineup and pitching staff, so a San Diego surge was not unexpected. Following a few key signings, a shift in chemistry, and a drastically improved record in extra-inning games (2-12 in 2023 to 10-2 in 2024), the Padres jumped back into the October race.
An busy trade deadline prepared them for a deep postseason run and radically altered public image of the team. Ultimately, the series failed to match the level it had rapidly and brilliantly reestablished for itself during the year. Should San Diego be congratulated for regaining its status as a credible National League contender? Or should it be blamed for failing yet again, and this time to its loathed rival
Manny Machado, the Padres’ manager, appears to be equally conflicted when it comes to evaluating the 2024 Friars.
Padres make significant strides but cannot close.
“It sucks to lose, right,” he told the media postgame, via 97.3 The Fan, following the team’s 2-0 loss to the Los Angeles Dodgers in a must-win Game 5 on Friday night. “You take it as is. I am just proud of these men. This crew went above and beyond every day and fought until the final out was made. It’s an honour to be a part of this team and company, and to have accomplished so much this year.”
The offence went silent in the next two games, scoring no runs against Dodger pitching after taking a 2-1 series lead. Machado struggled the most, scoring a pitiful score.190 batting average with six strikeouts in the NLDS. His playoff inadequacies worsen, as the team squanders what may have been its greatest chance at a championship in this era.
When the processes conclude in the next weeks, there is a good likelihood that San Diego will have been eliminated by the 2024 World Series champions. Many fan bases might be reluctant to accept such a result, but this one had a strong sense that something unique was brewing in The 619.
Regardless of how the year began, San Diego was all in for 2024.
Despite trading off Soto, the organization invested in a championship by strengthening the starting rotation and bullpen. It appeared to have ticked all of the boxes for a postseason championship, whereas other teams approached the playoffs with uncertainty. There is no disputing that Joe Musgrove’s terrible elbow injury (he recently underwent Tommy John surgery) had an impact on the Padres, especially because Dylan Cease pitched on short rest and was rocked in Game 4, but they were unable to make a dent in LA’s bullpen or Yoshinobu Yamamoto.
The community should cherish the rise of Jackson Merrill, Fernando Tatis Jr.’s infectious energy, and the overall euphoria generated by this comeback campaign. However, a moment of reflection cannot be complete without admitting Manny Machado’s and the Padres’ painful mistakes in October.
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