Padres All-Star Says Expectations Are Higher Than Ever This Year

Padres starting pitcher Joe Musgrove has raised the bar for the team in 2025, given the longevity of the team's core and the overall talent of the roster.

The Padres have been among the best teams in baseball so far, starting the year with the best record in baseball and for a strong stretch of games leading the NL West.

The team is comprised of experienced, long-time players and key additions made over the past few years, which have contributed to their consistency as a playoff team that has come just short of breaking through.

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This year, according to Musgrove, the team is aiming high.

“The expectation is just at such a higher level than it’s been in the past,” Joe Musgrove said to the The San Diego Union-Tribune's Kevin Acee.

“You’re getting a lot of buy-in from everybody. I think a lot of that is because you saw last year when everyone was truly bought in, we saw the results we got."

The @Padres pitching staff has been on a historic pace through 24 games ❌

(MLB x @SageUSAmerica) pic.twitter.com/Bipg74E8TC
— MLB (@MLB) April 23, 2025

"We saw the way that the team felt, the chemistry, the understanding of where we’re going and what we’re going to do."

"And then the preparation, like, I’ve never seen a team prepare the way that we do, knowing every single thing about the other team and any hole that they give us or any weakness, any tip that they have.”

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The Padres have one of the best-performing pitching staffs in the league, and it will receive reinforcements when Yu Darvish returns later this year.

As for Musgrove, he will be on the mend for the rest of the year, as he is still recovering from the Tommy John surgery he underwent last year. However, he did say he's aiming to pitch in October.

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His absence will be felt as an experienced, workhorse arm on the roster taking up a significant portion of the payroll. However, if the pitching staff continues to perform as they have been, they will be alright.

The Padres are a title contender this year, though they have been in this position over the past few years. This time could be different, especially if the team is fully focused and firing on all cylinders.

For more Padres news, head over to Padres on SI.