Padres tumble 14 spots in ESPN’s 2027 power rankings over a familiar flaw

You’d think that winning 91 games ought to buy a little goodwill. For the Padres, it apparently bought enough to get through the postseason before everyone started counting the holes again.

ESPN dropped San Diego from No. 7 to No. 21 in its early 2027 power rankings. It's a pretty steep fall for a team coming off a successful regular season, and the natural response around is to take offense. But then you look at the rotation and see who’s still under contract. Suddenly, the ranking feels less insulting.

San Diego heads into another offseason with the same uncomfortable assignment. They need to find enough starting pitching to make an expensive roster work. We can argue about whether No. 21 is too harsh. Regardless of where ESPN puts them, we should be considerably more annoyed that the Padres keep making this argument so easy.

The Padres keep giving themselves the same offseason homework

Michael King is the center of this mess. And it’s not really his fault. All he did was have a spectacular season. King had player options worth $28 million for 2027 and $30 million for 2028. Coming off a strong season, he could pursue a nine-figure contract in free agency. That’s what he has decided to do. 

A starter leaves. Another opening appears. Suddenly, every available dollar and useful trade chip has a destination, and the lineup gets whatever attention the rotation allows.

ESPN’s assessment of the remaining starters explains the pessimism. Randy Vásquez would lead the returning group, with Joe Musgrove also in the picture after last making a regular-season start in 2024.

We can love Musgrove for all that he represents. We can appreciate everything he means to this franchise and still recognize the size of the ask. Counting heavily on a pitcher returning from such a long absence puts a lot of pressure on both the player and the people building the roster.

The rotation gets the attention because it can derail everything. The rest of ESPN’s argument pretty much doubles down on the Padres questions this offseason.

Ty France, the team’s OPS leader, is also headed toward free agency. Two key relievers could find a home elsewhere. The farm system is in shambles and offers little to no help. Meanwhile, ESPN points to Manny Machado and Xander Bogaerts entering their age-34 seasons after what some can say was their worst offensive seasons.

The Padres need their veterans to rebound. They also need to build a roster capable of surviving when a rebound takes longer than expected.

We should definitely expect more from Machado and Bogaerts. Their roles and contracts come with that expectation. But established stars still need support.  As they get older, that support becomes more valuable.

The 91 wins still matter. They show the Padres had a team worth investing in. There’s no need to fuel an argument about being ranked 21st when you only have two starting pitchers. Instead, the Padres need to focus on giving King a compelling reason to return. Bring back Ty France or replace the offense that has departed. And give the roster some breathing room.

Add us as a preferred source on Google

Follow