2 truths and 1 lie about the San Diego Padres' season so far

If there was ever a season in San Diego Padres franchise history with seismic expectations, 2023 would certainly qualify as such.

The team is sitting atop the NL West alongside the Arizona Diamondbacks in the early going, and while we don't expect the Snakes to continue along their current trajectory, the Padres are more than expected to maintain theirs.

So what have we learned about the Padres so far in 2023? Let's play two truths and a lie to find out.

Two truths and one lie about the San Diego Padres' 2023 season so far

Truth: The Padres have the best roster in the NL, if not in all of baseball

Pound for pound, there's no team with more talent across the board. Star players? You got them in the lineup (Bogaerts, Machado, Soto, Cronenworth) and on the mound (Yu Darvish, Joe Musgrove (when healthy), Blake Snell, Josh Hader). Even their depth is impressive, with Ha-Seong Kim, Matt Carpenter, Nelson Cruz and Trent Grisham giving skipper Bob Melvin tons of options to mix and match on any given day. Seth Lugo and Michael Wacha have made quite the impression in the back end of San Diego's rotation as well.

This is all without having mentioned the impending return of Fernando Tatis Jr., from a PED suspension, which should be rather imminent, and the eventual comeback of star reliever Robert Suarez to bolster a solid bullpen.

The Padres haven't jumped out of the gate the way many expected, but rest assured, this roster is as good as any. You won't keep them down for long.

Truth: The Padres can still develop their own talent despite their extreme spending

The wild spending of owner Peter Seidler can be viewed by some as compensating (literally and figuratively) for a lack of homegrown talent, but let it be known that this is far from the case for the Padres.

San Diego's deep farm system has enabled them to package prospects to land stars like Juan Soto and Josh Hader, but even those they've managed to keep have done quite well from themselves. Take lefty Ryan Weathers and catcher Luis Campusano, for example.Weathers dealt five innings of one-run ball against the New York Mets in his most recent start, and his battery mate Campusano went 3-for-4 with two runs scored at the dish.

The Padres also have ascendant teenage catching prospect Ethan Salas and shortstop prospect Jackson Merrill waiting in the minor leagues, and if you want to talk about an ultimate player development win, Fernando Tatis Jr. went from unheralded prospect to star hitter with San Diego.

It's true that the Padres have depleted their farm system in recent years to go all-in, and yet they continue to supplement their win-now roster with help from the minor leagues. That's a formula for success.