What Comes Next for Padres After Disappointing Season?
With the 2023 season now over for the San Diego Padres, the best thing that they can do is put this year in the rearview mirror. It was a disappointing season on all fronts for this organization, but they seemed to find something down the stretch, and they can take that with them going into 2024.
San Diego coasted through most of the year, and it cost them in the standings. Only in the last few weeks of the season did they look like the team that many believed they would be, and they ultimately missed the postseason.
Now, looking ahead to 2024, the team has some big decisions to make all over the franchise. The first move for them will likely be deciding what to do with manager Bob Melvin. There has been talk about them moving on from Melvin after the frustrating season, and while he may be one of the better managers available, it makes sense.
Someone needs to take the fall for the year that the Friars just put together, and that someone is normally the manager. San Diego can start over fresh next year with someone else in charge, and maybe that new voice will be the difference for them.
President of Baseball Operations A.J. Preller could be on the hot seat, but he is likely to stay at least another year. He put the team into position to be this hyped up prior to the start of the year, and the organization will likely keep him for another year. But one more underwhelming year and Preller is likely gone.
Insider Bob Nightengale of USA Today has reported that the two men can’t get along, and nothing will change that moving forward.
“San Diego Padres manager Bob Melvin and GM A.J. Preller have told friends and associates that it’s simply impossible for the two to co-exist in 2024 and that their meeting Monday with Padres’ ownership will not change their minds.”
Within that roster that Preller put together, the Padres do need to shed some salary. They have a ton of money committed to this core, and many of them are above the age of 30. Look for them to possibly move on from outfielder Juan Soto this offseason, so they can replenish their farm system a bit.
The all-in approach that the Padres have taken over the last two years hasn’t panned out, so they need to shift philosophically in how they build the team. They need more depth to create an all-around complete team, rather than having stars everywhere with some depth.
We’ve seen different teams across the league do this, and it has worked out well. The Padres have a solid core in place but need to tinker with the roster slightly to give them a more well-rounded roster.
They also could benefit from bringing in some veterans to help guide the team during any tough times. San Diego tried this during this season, but it didn’t work out. They need to be looking at guys who fit their clubhouse culture, rather than just getting players who are great on paper.
The rival Los Angeles Dodgers did this in 2023, and it worked out well for them. They brought in guys like Jason Heyward and David Peralta, and they made instant impacts because they fit the clubhouse.
The Padres have some work to do this winter, but not all is lost. They can take the mistakes from this past year and apply them to 2024 to make sure this doesn’t happen again. If they can do that, they could be one of the scariest teams in the league next season.
