3 former San Diego Padres players who have a chance to get a World Series ring

The 2023 World Series matchup is officially set and it, of course, does not involve the San Diego Padres. The Friars entered the 2023 season with so much promise, coming off an NLCS berth last season and running out a stacked roster. Unfortunately, the team never really clicked until it was too late and the Padres missed the playoffs entirely, having one of the most disappointing seasons in franchise history.

While the current Padres will be home watching the World Series games from their couches, that doesn't mean they won't be represented in the Fall Classic. There are three former Padres players who are currently suiting up for the Diamondbacks and Rangers looking to win the World Series.

1) Tommy Pham

Tommy Pham was acquired in the trade (alongside Jake Cronenworth) in which the Padres sent Hunter Renfroe and Xavier Edwards to the Rays prior to the 2020 season. Cronenworth has developed into an All-Star and cornerstone for this Padres team, but Pham struggled to live up to his lofty expectations.

In two years with the Padres, he slashed .226/.335/.370 with 18 home runs and 61 RBI total, averaging 93 games per season. Pham had established himself as a strong hitter with both the Cardinals and Rays, but never got it going in San Diego.

Pham wound up playing for a bunch of other teams after departing San Diego including the Reds, Red Sox, and Mets before New York shipped him off to Arizona at the trade deadline. Pham entered the year in a reserve role but played so well to the point where he forced his way into the Mets starting lineup and was one of their few bright spots.

With the Mets out of contention, they shipped Pham off to the Diamondbacks and he's played a key role for them. His bat has slowed down a bit since arriving in Arizona, but he's been a staple in the middle of their order and has even had some big postseason moments this season while helping them win the NL Pennant.

2) Austin Hedges

Austin Hedges was the top prospect in the Padres system before debuting in 2015. Nobody ever knew if he was going to do much offensively, but his glove behind the plate made him super valuable to the Padres. He was expected to be the team's catcher of the future after making it to the big leagues.

Unfortunately, things never clicked for him in a Padres uniform. The team gave him over five years to figure it out offensively, but he hit under .200 in the brown and gold, posting an OPS of .616. The glove was as good as advertised, but his bat was so bad to the point where he simply wasn't a startable player.

The Padres finally cut the cord and moved him in the deal with the Guardians that netted the Padres Mike Clevinger. That trade obviously didn't work out as planned, but Josh Naylor and Cal Quantrill have more to do with that than Hedges who in his nine-year career, still hasn't figured it out offensively.

Since leaving San Diego, Hedges made stops in both Cleveland and Pittsburgh before the Pirates shipped him off to Texas at this year's trade deadline. The Rangers wanted Hedges to be Jonah Heim's backup with Mitch Garver doing most DH'ing, and he did appear in 16 games for the Rangers down the stretch. Hedges had just a .417 OPS in 25 Rangers at-bats, but he is on their postseason roster looking to win a ring.