Ranking Padres’ possible 2025 playoff opponents from most dangerous to least concerning

With the playoffs on the horizon in San Diego, the club is gearing up for a solid September in hopes of sliding into the postseason with ease. Entering Wednesday, the Padres are 76-63, which is good for second place in the NL West. As the playoff scope becomes a bit clearer, let's rank how scary each Padres potential playoff opponents are.

No. 6 (Least Concerning): New York Mets

The Mets have been struggling since the All-Star break, and their position in the Wild Card is not a lock yet. The Reds have been on their tails for the better part of the summer, and pressure is on the Mets just to make the postseason.

Likely, the Padres would have to win the NL West and get the No. 3 seed to face the Mets in the playoffs. If that happens, San Diego would have home-field advantage against a team that has not been playing their best baseball for a while. This matchup should not scare the Padres much.

No. 5 (somewhat concerning): Chicago Cubs

The Cubs, another team the Padres are occupying the Wild Card standings with, are the team San Diego would currently square off with in the Wild Card Round. This matchup could come down to who has home-field advantage, and right now, the Cubs have a three-game lead.

However, San Diego has the firepower to get the job done. The X-factor here is Pete Crow-Armstrong, who has never played in the postseason. He could break out for the Cubs and be a playoff hero in Chicago.

No. 4 (If they get hot, they are concerning): Cincinnati Reds

The Reds are not in the playoff mix yet, but if they get hot in September, they could overtake the Mets, who currently lead them by four games. If the Reds do get into the playoffs, it means they'll have had an unreal month of September. That would make them dangerous to the Padres. Similar to the Tigers in 2024, the Reds could get on a streak and keep it going in the Wild Card round. For San Diego's sake, let's hope that does not happen.

No. 3 (definitely a concern): Milwaukee Brewers

The Brewers have the best record in baseball and would be a difficult foe for any team in the NL. They look like a lock to earn one of the two byes in the NL, meaning San Diego would need to win their first round matchup to take on Milwaukee in round two.

The silver lining here is the Brewers' recent string of postseason disasters. The Crew has demonstrated the ability to consistently get there, but has not demonstrated the ability to win in the postseason.

No. 2 (very concerning): Philedelphia Phillies

The Phillies have offensive power and an excellent rotation. On paper, they might be the best team in baseball. San Diego's offense would probably struggle against the Phillies' frontline starters, even with Zack Wheeler out for the year.

No. 1 (let's hope they don't play eachother again): Los Angeles Dodgers

The Dodgers have had the upper hand over the Padres since...well, it feels like forever. The Dodgers are still the scariest team for San Diego, even after taking two of three from them in San Diego. At 2.5 games back, there is still an outside chance for the Padres to overtake the Dodgers and finally capture an elusive NL West title. Let's hope that happens, and let's hope if it doesn't happen, Los Angeles goes down in the first round of the playoffs.

Running into the Dodgers again in the postseason, especially after last year's heartbreak, just would not be the ideal scenario for the Padres.