San Diego Padres Opening Day

By Steve Atkinson 

The San Diego Padres are set to open the season on Thursday against the Atlanta Braves. They had a relatively quiet off-season, marked by some internal friction among ownership and not many new signings. However, their roster remains strong, featuring players like Fernando Tatis, Xander Bogaerts, Jackson Merrill in his second season, and Jake Cronenworth. The pitching staff is also solid, with the only notable addition being Nick Pivetta, who previously played for the Red Sox.

San Diego Padres Start Thursday

The Padres are coming off a challenging playoff series loss to the Dodgers last season. Opening Day starter Michael King expressed that this loss was difficult to accept.

I still think we’re one of two teams that could’ve won the World Series last year,” Opening Day starter Michael King said earlier this spring. “That Dodgers series was definitely a tough one to swallow. But we’ve still got a bunch of our core group of guys, and we’re all hungry to come back.

The Padres need to start the year strong like they did in 2024. Despite the injuries to the starting pitching staff with Joe Musgrove and Yu Darvish. Mike Schildt says they have unfinished business to take care of

You want to make sure that it stings — and the sting is there,” manager Mike Shildt said. “But you don’t want it to consume you. … We had a lot of really, really good things happen individually and collectively that we need to hold onto and believe and understand that’s who we are. And we know, yeah, we’ve got unfinished business

Second-year player Jackson Merrill is coming off a great rookie season. Worked hard to give Amy the roster last year, and it paid off. Now, he’ll open the season as the center fielder.

Last year was great, and it was fun, and there were so many cool moments,” Merrill said. “But overall, I can be better. Being more consistent is where I want to be. I had slumps — nothing huge. … But this year, I’m more focused on: Let’s stay consistent. Let’s find a way to walk, to get on base. Let’s still impact it.”

The Padres’ goal is to win a World Series Championship. I’m not sure they have the pitching depth to do that and can match the Dodgers, who are still loaded. The Padres would need to find a way to stay healthy and have their pitching come through when needed the most.

Coming soon to a ballpark near you.#SDOpeningDay pic.twitter.com/7W37W5CqnE

— San Diego Padres (@Padres) March 25, 2025