Diamondbacks’ most annoying offseason scenario just became real for the Padres

Teams in the NL West tend to find a way to damper the Padres' parade. But right now, it is shockingly not the Dodgers stamping on San Diego. While the Friars have finally gotten going in offseason acquisitions by bringing back Michael King and somewhat surprisingly signing Sung-mun Song on Friday, there are still other teams looking to also get better.

The San Francisco Giants might be in the market for Cody Bellinger, which would not be ideal for the Padres. But he isn't the only superstar who will potentially join the division. It doesn't stop there.

Over in Arizona, the Diamondbacks might be scheming for something that's a tad unrealistic. But we have seen this club overpay when they are in win-now mode, and currently, they are one star away from being legit again. There has been chatter that All-Star third baseman Alex Bregman could sign with the Diamondbacks. This could spell trouble once again for the Padres if they add him, while simultaneously retaining Ketel Marte.

Diamondbacks could pursue Alex Bregman this offseason, causing real panic for Padres in NL West race

"A scenario exists in which the Arizona Diamondbacks would both sign free-agent third baseman Alex Bregman and keep second baseman Ketel Marte. Those two, combined with right fielder Corbin Carroll and shortstop Geraldo Perdomo, would give the DBacks four of the top position players in the game," Ken Rosenthal said in his article in The Athletic.

Talk about an elite core. Ketel Marte has been a career Padres killer (.838 OPS), Geraldo Perdomo is coming off a breakout 7.0 bWAR season, and Corbin Carroll has elevated himself into superstar status. If you add Bregman into that mix, that will be a difficult lineup to slow down.

Also, think about the third base room in the NL West if this happens: Manny Machado (Padres), Matt Chapman (Giants), Max Muncy (Dodgers), Alex Bregman (Diamondbacks). That's 173.4 combined career bWAR. Not bad. It's a bit scary, but impressive nonetheless.