Padres disrespected in ESPN playoff predictions for 2025 postseason

The San Diego Padres have been here before. A team brimming with talent, locked into the postseason, and carrying the kind of names that should make analysts stop and take notice, only to find themselves brushed aside when the national spotlight turns on October baseball.

For a franchise that has poured resources, star power, and years of fan anticipation into building a true contender, the latest round of ESPN playoff predictions feels less like an oversight and more like a statement: the Padres aren’t being taken seriously.

Padres snubbed in ESPN playoff predictions ahead of 2025 postseason

It wasn’t just a matter of exclusion, it was a pattern. When analysts broke down bold predictions and highlighted potential difference-makers across the National League, San Diego barely earned a mention. Evaluators dug into the Dodgers’ roster despite a season that didn’t meet expectations. They spotlighted the Cubs as a sleeper pick and gushed over the Reds’ young core of Elly De La Cruz, Hunter Greene, and Andrew Abbott.  And yet, when it came to the Padres, not much of a response.

It’s not as if San Diego lacks star power. Manny Machado’s veteran presence still anchors the lineup, Fernando Tatis Jr. remains one of the more electrifying players in baseball, and Jackson Merrill still brings spark to the roster. On the pitching side, Dylan Cease and Michael King may have endured a down season collectively, but both are proven arms who could shift a series. And then there’s Nick Pivetta, the surprise ace whose rise has been one of the more underrated storylines of 2025. To act as if this team doesn’t have the firepower to shake things up is baffling.

The only acknowledgment came when Buster Olney quoted an unnamed MLB evaluator who pointed to the Padres’ bullpen as the “biggest difference maker.” While not untrue, it felt like a generic answer, a safe nod to the reality that bullpens often decide October games. But the Padres are more than just their relievers. They’re a club that, despite being overshadowed, has the tools to upset the hierarchy in the National League.

Perhaps being overlooked isn’t the worst thing. San Diego has spent years trying — and often failing to dethrone the Dodgers in the NL West, only to fall short under the weight of expectations. This time, the lack of attention might just play to their advantage. Let the spotlight shine on Los Angeles, Chicago, Milwaukee and Cincinnati. If the Padres can sneak under the radar and strike when no one sees it coming, the narrative will shift fast. And when it does, those same analysts who dismissed them will be scrambling to explain how they missed what Padres fans already know: this team can be dangerous, and October is the perfect stage to prove it.

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