The San Diego Padres came into the 2023 season with expectations to be contenders in the National League. Instead, they shockingly underperformed, missing the postseason with an 82-80 record, which has 97.3 The Fan radio host Steve Woods extremely concerned for the future of the team.
Despite their uber-talented roster with the likes of Juan Soto, Manny Machado, and Xander Bogaerts on it, the Padres simply could never build any momentum to make a postseason push.
Woods appeared on the Short and to the Point podcast with Jessica Kleinschmidt, where he was asked to “talk Padres fans off a ledge” following their disappointing year. Instead, Woods made a number of points that suggest he does not see this season as an anomaly, and that this year could be instead be more of a sign of things to come.
“I wish I could,” said Woods when asked the question. “Next year we don’t know what the roster is going to look like. Yes, the core is there, but we have no pitching. We have very little pitching. You aren’t going to win anything with two starters. That’s what we have right now. So I wish I could say ‘Guys, don’t worry about it. This was an anomaly.’ I cannot in good conscience sit here and tell you that today.”
Woods went on to say that he believes two big names could walk in the upcoming free agency, including star closer Josh Hader and NL Cy Young front-runner Blake Snell.
“We’re losing Josh Hader, he’s gonna walk in free agency. We’re losing Blake Snell, who is gonna win a Cy Young. How do you lose Josh Hader, Blake Snell, Michael Wacha, Seth Lugo, maybe Nick Martinez and go ‘We’re gonna be fine?’ I can’t do it.”
While there are some very obvious areas of concern for the Padres, it isn’t all doom and gloom. They do still have the core of their lineup locked up for the 2024 season, which Woods is still excited about.
“I will say, I’m very excited to watch Juan (Soto) hopefully. I’m very excited to watch Fernando (Tatis), Manny (Machado), and Xander (Bogaerts). I still love these guys with all of my heart. I really do, but I can’t tell you we’re going to win more games next year than we did this year. Now the way my head is working, I’m like, we’re winning 60 games and we’re just going to be mired for in **** for the next decade.”
Obviously, only time will tell whether the Padres do indeed bounce back in 2024. But it is pretty safe to say that at this point, most Padres fans largely agree with Woods and feel like this team could be on a downward spiral.
Short and to the Point with Jessica Kleinschmidt is available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and wherever you get your podcasts.
[Short and to the Point]
