3 Padres playoff takeaways after a disappointing postseason

The postseason run for the San Diego Padres was an utter disaster to say the least, as they dropped 2-of-3 to the Cubs in controversial fashion.

Going all in at the trade deadline just to come away empty-handed is never ideal. There are positives and negatives to take away from the Wild Card that we believe are worth discussing.

3 Padres playoff takeaways after a disappointing postseason

Top of the order struggled mightily

The trio of Fernando Tatis Jr., Luis Arráez, and Manny Machado failed to meet their lofty expectations in the postseason, as they endured a dismal 4-for-33 (.121) stretch over the three-game series.

Xander Bogaerts’ controversial strike-three call in the ninth yesterday really deflected from the fact that the “top bats” in the lineup failed to come through when it mattered most. They weren’t even able to record any productive outs, as the three of them combined to strand a total of 13 runners across the three games.

With the Padres going all in at the trade deadline, it is safe to say that the top of the order was a massive flop, and it is definitely the headline of San Diego’s postseason collapse.

Keep Freddy Fermín around

There were only two bright spots in the postseason for San Diego—elite pitching and Freddy Fermín. The 30-year-old Venezuelan, in his postseason debut, went 4-for-11 with a .909 OPS; he was the only bat in the lineup that remained consistent.

The Padres went from having the worst catching tandem in the league to finding potentially the steal of the trade deadline in Fermín. A.J. Preller can pat himself on the back over the fact that the team has Fermín under team control through 2029, meaning he will be the catcher for the next three years.

Watching Fermín take control of the situation over the past three games is something that Padres fans should be looking forward to in 2026.

Yu Darvish might be cooked

Mike Shildt turned to Yu Darvish for the final game of the series, in hopes that the 39-year-old righty could turn the clock back. Unfortunately, that was not the case, as Darvish only recorded three outs and loaded the bases in the second inning before being pulled. This absolutely derailed Shildt’s plan in the must-win game.

Darvish is under contract until 2029, but it may be time to ask the tough question of whether he still has stuff left in the tank. 2025 was not a pretty season for him, and it may be time for him to call it quits.