San Diego Padres: A Mookie Betts trade unlikely, but that’s OK

Why the Padres are fine

Maybe it’s Spring optimism, but I’m really excited about the team the Padres already have. They’ve made moves this offseason that certainly make them better in 2020.

Tommy Pham is going to be a huge on-base guy atop the lineup, Jurickson Profar should help lengthen the lineup, Zach Davies will give the team some innings at the back of the rotation, Trent Grisham has some upside to help strengthen the outfield, and Drew Pomeranz will play a big roll in limiting the innings from the young starters and bridging the gap to Kirby Yates.

And while I don’t expect Tatis to hit 40 home runs like he was on pace to do in 2019, I certainly expect he’ll be healthy all season and be a real force atop the lineup.

I also wrote earlier this offseason that I think Machado is primed for a big bounce-back season after a year of adjustment in San Diego.

There is also the hope we could see top prospect MacKenzie Gore join the starting rotation not long into the season, which would be a big boost to the pitching staff.

Not to keep plugging my articles, but I wrote about the possibility of Garrett Richards becoming a top of the rotation pitcher once again.

Perhaps this is just me getting exciting with Spring Training so close, but I really feel good about where this team is at.

And those who are much smarter than me apparently feel the same way as most betting and projection sites have the Padres as an 83-to-86 win team that could possibly earn a Wild Card spot.