2 excuses the San Diego Padres can't use in 2023, and 1 they can use

Let's begin by acknowledging that there really is no excusing how badly the 2023 San Diego Padres underachieved.

A club with the third-highest payroll in baseball and lofty expectations after coming within striking distance of the 2022 World Series should've been primed for an epic run this season.

Instead, disaster ensued. Fernando Tatis Jr.'s PED suspension, injuries to star players and pitchers, apparent dysfunction. But at the end of the day, this team didn't even come close to scratching the surface of its potential.

Here are two excuses the San Diego Padres can't use to blame for their 2023 misfortune and one that they can use.

1) The San Diego Padres can't use Fernando Tatis Jr.'s PED suspension as an excuse for 2023

Yes, "Nando" missed the first 20 games of this season after being suspended for PED usage. No, that's not a viable excuse for the Padres' underperformance in 2023.

Sure, Tatis Jr. is a lightning rod. And his return provided a necessary spark to what had been a lethargic San Diego squad. But all the 24-year-old has done since being reinstated is rake, which is what he normally does.

Tatis Jr. has a 116 wRC+ while being worth 4.5 fWAR, his second-highest value since debuting in 2019.

This Padres lineup was stacked before his re-emergence, and it continued to be stacked after the fact. And yet? They just haven't clicked as much as you'd expect. One player doesn't resolve all the team's issues, just as one doesn't create them on his own.

The San Diego Padres can say injuries derailed their 2023 season

Theoretically, every team can claim this, so it's not a unique excuse by any means. However, the San Diego Padres still experienced a plethora of player injuries in 2023.

Whether it's Joe Musgrove, Manny Machado, Michael Wacha, Seth Lugo, Robert Suarez or any player in between, this season hasn't been a particularly healthy one for San Diego. Missing key contributors on the field will always impact a team's performance, and the Padres are no different.

San Diego barely got to see its veteran rotation take multiple full turns together one through five this season. The lineup missed Manny Machado, a typically dependable player, when he was sidelined earlier in 2023. Bullpen setup men Steven Wilson and Robert Suarez each also missed significant time, which made the bridge to Josh Hader relatively perilous.

Are injuries the best excuse for a lost season? Admittedly not, but you can't deny their effect on the 2023 San Diego Padres either.