Padres Playoff Odds: Hot streak has San Diego on the road back to the postseason

America's Finest City is home to one of America's finest baseball teams. The Friar faithful have to be happy with the San Diego Padres' recent surge that has their favorite team maintaining a relatively strong grip on one of the three NL Wild Card spots.

According to FanGraphs, the Padres have a 70.8% chance of making it to the playoffs in 2024. Only the three NL division leaders (Los Angeles Dodgers, Philadelphia Phillies, and Milwaukee Brewers) and the Atlanta Braves have better odds.

Padres Playoff Odds: Hot streak has San Diego on the road back to the postseason

After missing the postseason a year ago, Padres President of Baseball Operations AJ Preller knew he had to make some changes. Some might say his job depended on it. Preller made some blockbuster trades during the offseason that included shipping out Juan Soto and brining in Dylan Cease. The Friars' top decision-maker may have bled the farm system dry in the process, but if the Padres make a deep postseason run, no one in San Diego is going to complain.

The Padres are not only attempting to get into the playoffs by way of the wild card, but San Diego (and the Arizona Diamondbacks) are tracking down the NL West-leading Dodgers with a little less than two months left in the 2024 season.

The Friars and the D-backs are neck-and-neck, and both clubs trail LA by just three games in the division. While San Diego's chances to win the NL West are sitting at just 5.2%, if the Dodgers continue to lose games, that number will surely grow.

Working against the Padres is their strength of schedule. According to ESPN, only the Toronto Blue Jays and New York Yankees have a tougher road ahead until the season ends on September 29. While the rebuilding Miami Marlins, Colorado Rockies, Chicago White Sox, and Tampa Bay Rays are on San Diego's upcoming slate, so are the Dodgers, D-backs, Houston Astros, and Seattle Mariners.

The Padres are sitting pretty at the moment, but San Diego can't afford to take their foot off the gas. Mike Shildt's club holds a two-game edge in the NL Wild Card race, but there are seven other teams within striking distance.

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