Padres’ offseason grade exposes a deflating truth about the franchise’s direction

The San Diego Padres have recently been no stranger to handing out big-time contracts. The Friars have a core of Manny Machado, Fernando Tatis Jr., Jackson Merrill, and Xander Bogaerts earning over $1 billion combined on their current deals.

Still, that's disappointingly not enough for San Diego to be in a position to overthrow the Los Angeles Dodgers in the NL West. More moves needed to be made, but sadly, not much has been done to keep up with the two-time defending World Series champions. Forget about winning a division title for a second. Making the playoffs in 2026 is currently a question mark, too.

Gabe Lacques and Bob Nightengale of USA Today handed out offseason grades for each MLB team, and the Padres are among the few teams that were given an F. The Cincinnati Reds and the Colorado Rockies were also given a failing grade among National League teams — two teams that the Padres do not want to be compared to.

San Diego Padres receive failing grade for poor offseason action

"The Padres spent wildly for years, but suddenly the money has dried up, and so have the hopes of knocking off the Dodgers," the article said.

San Diego signed Michael King to a three-year, $75 million deal in an unexpected reunion, but King is able to opt out after year. So, there's no telling if the right-handed starter has any intention of remaining with the Padres if the 2026 season goes south. Imagine this starting rotation without King? That could be a reality for this organization in a year, and right now, there are no reinforcements, whether King stays or not.

The Padres won 90 games last season, and since then, have lost All-Star-level talent in Dylan Cease, Robert Suarez, and Ryan O'Hearn. Besides signing Song Sung Mun, not much else has been done by the club to move forward. That is a very clear concern — one that has not been properly addressed by the Padres' front office.

We're a couple weeks out from pitchers and catchers reporting, and the Padres are in a worrisome spot already. It's time for them to make a last-minute addition before 2026 becomes a disaster.