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.

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

Keep only one of Matt Carpenter or Nelson Cruz for improved roster flexibility

There aren't many teams that carry two nearly-full time designated hitters on their active rosters. The Padres do with Matt Carpenter and Nelson Cruz.

Carpenter had a great game against the Arizona Diamondbacks on Sunday, as he drove in five of the team's seven runs. Nelson Cruz, on the other hand, has scuffled in recent weeks, though his overall numbers are still respectable.

But the Padres don't need both players. And if they had to choose between the two, they should go with Carpenter, who can at least provide some value in the field. It's not that Cruz isn't valuable (his leadership is surely instrumental in that clubhouse), but San Diego has multiple guys playing out of position, and at some point this season, that could backfire on the team.

On days where they need a right-handed DH, Bob Melvin could always use Fernando Tatis Jr., allowing a strong defender like Jose Azocar to man right field, as an example. The idea of having more roster flexibility should be appealing, especially players that can take the field instead of those who merely DH at this point, like Nelson Cruz.

Additionally, as alluded to earlier, the Padres' bullpen is undermanned at the moment. Perhaps having another body on the pitching staff could be of service to this team in the meantime, a spot otherwise being absorbed by Nelson Cruz and/or Matt Carpenter.