Padres Playoff Odds Are At An All Time Low
The Padres are dangerously close to officially playing for nothing. As an unfortunate season carries on, the club is left with a 0.3 percent chance of making the playoffs entering play on Sunday, according to ESPN.
As a sort of perceived waiving of the white flag, both Manny Machado and Fernando Tatis were out of Sunday's starting lineup in Houston. Mostly it was rest driven. But there's at least a small part that's seeing the writing on the wall in 2023.
In recent days and weeks, the strangely bad Padres season has been examined and re-examined. The club has all the pieces in place to be exceptional. The pitching staff is the best in baseball by ERA and the team's run differential is fifth best in the National League.
Future Hall of Fame manager Dusty Baker couldn't quite understand why the team that convincingly beat his Astros on Friday was in the position they were in.
As Caleb Nguyen of InsideThePadres.com wrote earlier, this offseason could be one of change for the Friars. AJ Preller will have a spotlight on him for sure. Will he be dismissed? If not, what will the play be in free agency? What happens with Bob Melvin who has one more season on his contract? How can the nucleus of this team find a way to better work together?
Soon enough, that 0.3 percent will become an eliminated and the offseason planning can begin in earnest.
