NFL
By: Steve Atkinson
The San Diego Padres are built to win now unlike Xander Bogaerts’ former team the Red Sox who will be in last place for a long time. What the Padres have done is add elite talent on offense with Tatis coming back, Machado, Soto, Bogaerts etc. There is zero excuses why this team can’t compete or even win the NL West. They are right up there with the Dodgers, Braves, Mets, Phillies. A World Series championship is in the cards for them soon I can see it.
On Friday the Padres avoided arbitration locking up Juan Soto to a one-year $23 million contract. Also locked up Josh Hader who will get $14 million. Soto now having a full offseason under his belt will start spring training next month with the Padres. He will be a free agent after the 2024 season. On the pitching side, Yu Darvish is their ace followed by Joe Musgrove, Blake Snell who came from Tampa, Nick Martinez, and Seth Lugo. I still would like them to possibly get a starting pitcher either before spring training or the start of the season. Yu Darvish is their ace but the bottom of the rotation could use some work. But then again it may not matter with all that talent they have on offense.
The Padres signed veteran Nelson Cruz who has had an 18-year baseball career. On his last team the Washington Nationals, he struggled only hitting 10 home runs in 507 plate appearances. Cruz had eye surgery right after the season ended. He didn’t wait until January like Trevor Story of the Boston Red Sox just did. Now the Sox don’t have a shortstop to begin the season. Bloom said in a press conference the other day that everything is awesome because they were forced to sign Rafel Devers. That is what a losing team looks like. It’s no wonder Bogaerts left for the Padres he saw what was happening and where the franchise was going. He saw the Padres as a way to win a World Series now not 10 years or more.
I expect the Padres to start out strong in the early part of the season. The series I’m looking forward to the most is at the end of May against the Red Sox which I think they will sweep and Bogaerts will hit three home runs. Even Bogaerts said at his press conference that the team was ready to win now.
