3 changes we'd already make to the San Diego Padres in 2023

Starting the 2023 season at an even 12-12 is probably not what most San Diego Padres fans had in mind after entering the year with arguably the best roster in all of baseball.

The good news? San Diego appears to be at full strength heading into the month of May, with the returns of Fernando Tatis Jr. and Joe Musgrove. And that should only mean a steady ascent from here. And if the rest of the team can catch fire? Watch out.

Even with these welcome developments, however, there are still changes the Padres could make to better position themselves going forward.

3 changes we'd already make to the San Diego Padres in 2023

1. Move Blake Snell to the bullpen, replace him in the rotation with Ryan Weathers

So basically, the exact opposite approach that San Diego is taking right now.

Snell has struggled in 2023, with a 6.00 ERA in four starts, though he does have 21 strikeouts in 18 innings pitched. That only furthers the case for moving him to the bullpen, however, where he can strut his power stuff in short bursts. And not to mention, the team is a little short on bullpen personnel with Robert Suarez out for the foreseeable future with shoulder inflammation.

It's become clear that Snell isn't the rotation solution the Padres thought he would be, so why leave him in there as a liability when fellow lefty Ryan Weathers has a 2.65 ERA in three starts of his own so far this season?

We know who Blake Snell is. There's no higher ceiling for him to reach. But that's not the case with Weathers, who still has room to grow. And that growth should occur in the starting rotation, not the bullpen.