5 San Diego Padres players who have been major disappointments this season

You're only as strong as your weakest link. Or in the San Diego Padres' case this season, as strong as five key players who helped derail the team's best chance to clinch back-to-back postseason berths for the first time since 2005 and 2006.

It's hard to fathom that this generational assemblage of talent won't be moving forward with their win-now aspirations. In fact, one MLB insider has already called the Padres the biggest disappointment of 2023.

So who's to blame for San Diego's downfall this season? Let's look at these five disappointing players.

1) Manny Machado has been a major disappointment for the 2023 San Diego Padres

Let's get this one out of the way: Manny Machado has not lived up to expectations this season.

You may look at his season totals to date and see 26 home runs. But beneath the power numbers tells a different story: a difference of nearly 60 points in OPS between this year and his career numbers, time missed due to (rare) injury and some sloppy play.

There is no other way to put this: A $350 million player shouldn't be worth just 2.6 bWAR, especially when he was worth 6.8 bWAR (over two times more valuable!) in 2022. It stands to reason that this dip in performance is a major reason why the San Diego Padres are likely headed home this October