The upcoming 2021 season may be the biggest season in San Diego Padres history. There is a ton of optimism as they are now a possible World Series threat. This season they will look to take down their southern California rivals the Los Angeles Dodgers. Following a strong 2020 season the Padres will be looking for even more this upcoming season.
2020
Last season the San Diego Padres finished with a 37-23 record. In the National League West they finished second in the division behind the World Series champion Los Angeles Dodgers. After a strong regular season the San Diego Padres took on the St Louis Cardinals in the Wild Card Series. The Padres won this series in three games. However, their luck ran out in Texas when the Dodgers walked all over the Padres. The NLDS ended for San Diego with a three game sweep ending their storybook season.
Offseason
The San Diego Padres had a huge offseason. They made several key signings and trades to add to this stacked roster. The biggest move was obviously the huge extension for Fernando Tatis Jr. His contract will be a 14-year, $340 million dollar deal. It is now the third largest deal in MLB history. Many people have debated on whether or not he should be paid this soon so now Tatis Jr will be looking to silence any doubters.
The next big deal was the Padres trading for Blake Snell. Blake Snell has a strong 2020 season and he will be looking to continue his success out west. To add to the rotation the Padres also added Yu Darvish in a trade. In this trade the Padres also got catcher Victor Caratini from the Chicago Cubs. The Padres also acquired KBO star Ha-Seong Kim to a four year deal. To make yet another addition to the rotation the Padres acquired Joe Musgrove from the Pittsburgh Pirates. San Diego also brought back Jurickson Profar on a three-year deal. It goes without saying that the Padres are now a top tier in MLB.
Big Expectations for 2021
Following the strong 2020 season and a huge offseason the Padres will have huge expectations going into 2021. San Diego has gone all in for a World Series this past offseason and they are expecting nothing less. They will first need to dethrone their Southern California rivals the Los Angeles Dodgers to win the NL West. It will be a tough road to get to the World Series, They will need to get past so many tough teams in an already stacked National League.
Can the Padres Win It All?
With such a stacked roster this is an easy answer: the Padres can win it all. They will have many tough teams to go through but it is not impossible. They have the talent to go all the way and there will be a ton of pressure on San Diego. After many years of pain and suffering the Padres will look to finally flip the script and win a World Series, their time is now and it is the beginning of a new era in San Diego.
