Padres columnist gives NL West rival too much credit and selectively ignores history

The San Diego Padres are one of the most exciting organizations in all of Major League Baseball. They have it all: the breathtaking ballpark, a roster of high-powered superstars, and a fanbase that loves them deeply.

Those were all hallmarks of the San Francisco Giants once upon a time, namely when the franchise won it all in 2010, 2012 and 2014 — but it's been a decade since they were regularly relevant in a National League West ruled by the powerhouse Los Angeles Dodgers.

Padres columnist gives SF Giants & Buster Posey too much credit

As Padres columnist Tom Krasovic points out, the division runs through Chavez Ravine and that isn't changing anytime soon. AJ Preller himself has acknowledged as much: it's about securing a Wild Card spot, punching your postseason ticket, and seeing what happens. That's the case for San Diego and San Francisco, even with the excitement and buzz created by Giants legend Buster Posey taking over as the team's new president of baseball operations this winter.

In his latest column, Krasovic kneels before Posey — an odd move given the longtime Giants catcher hasn't even finished his first offseason on the job, let alone seeing how the roster he assembles performs throughout an entire season. He believes Posey will be a difference-maker for San Francisco, going so far as to say that, effective immediately, the Padres' path to a wild-card spot gets more challenging because of the change at the top in the Bay Area.

There's no doubting Posey's strengths and his place in Giants franchise lore. But simply installing him as president of baseball ops doesn't negate the issues that have kept San Francisco from landing top free agents in recent years: a ballpark that plays notoriously unfriendly to hitters, the perception that crime in the city is a major issue, and a commitment to half-measures as opposed to full rebuilds that could have put the organization on more stable long-term footing.

The jury is still out on Posey and what impact he'll have on the Padres-Giants rivalry moving forward, even after signing Willy Adames to a seven-year, $182 million deal — the largest free-agent guarantee in team history. Ceding the crown to them before Opening Day is foolish though. This is a San Diego club that's built to win and win now, so let's stop pretending that's changed, even with Posey taking over in San Francisco.

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