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Spring Dreaming: Stubbornly great Padres lead spring surprises
A month ago, the Padres figured to be a fringe playoff contender that could get hot and challenge an elite team or two in October — like they did last year, when they took the eventual champion Dodgers to a decisive fifth game in the NLDS. On Opening Day, FanGraphs gave San Diego about a one-in-three shot at making a third postseason in four years.
Not a bad forecast, but the Padres didn’t exactly feel like an organization on the rise. A lot of things weighed down on any optimism:
- Late owner Peter Seidler, who died in 2023, was an unusually big spender for a “small-market” owner, and his heirs, who immediately fought over control of the team, don’t seem to have the same financial appetite.
- The club cut nearly $100 million in payroll last season and took out a $50 million loan to cover expenses. The team has money problems, largely stemming from the collapse of the regional TV deal the team once relied on for millions annually.
- A year after trading Juan Soto (albeit for a nice package of players), the Padres let a few solid free agents walk. Outfielder Jurickson Profar went to the Braves (and quickly was suspended for PED use), sweet-fielding shortstop Ha-Seong Kim to the Rays and deadline rental reliever Tanner Scott to the hated Dodgers.
- Injuries were an immediate problem. Joe Musgrove had Tommy John surgery last fall and won’t be back before October, if he’s back at all this year. Yu Darvish, thanks to a spring training case of elbow inflammation, still hasn’t debuted this season. Jackson Merrill has been out the past few weeks with a strained hamstring.
No matter. A little over 10 percent of the way into the season, the Padres are 15-6, the best record in baseball. The team’s offensive core (Fernando Tatis Jr., Manny Machado and Merrill when healthy) is raking. Michael King, part of the return from the Yankees for Soto before last season, has pitched lights-out, as has new arrival Pivetta. Robert Suarez has been a dominant closer. Everything is clicking.
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The club is packing Petco Park to the tune of more than 40,000 fans per game. Merrill just signed a nine-year extension to solidify himself as a true franchise cornerstone. The vibes could hardly be better, no matter what is going on with the dollars and cents.
Elsewhere, April ball is full of surprises. The Braves started 0-7 and have had a slow dig out of that hole. The Twins have been a disaster and ceded AL Central favorite status to the Tigers. The big league home run leader is … Athletics first baseman Tyler Soderstrom? Indeed, with nine homers.
We asked The Athletic’s Eno Sarris and Derek VanRiper, hosts of “Rates & Barrels,” which April developments are primed to regress to their respective means.
Sarris has the Giants offense going 📉:
💬 Who did you think would have a good offense to start the year? The Cubs? Yep, they led MLB in runs per game entering play on Saturday. The Diamondbacks and Yankees? Yep, second and third. But also right there are the Giants, in fourth somehow scoring more than five runs a game. They might be OK, but that seems out of whack.
Meanwhile, VanRiper has the Braves offense, sixth from the bottom in runs per game, going 📈:
💬 Ronald Acuña Jr. is in the late stages of rehab from his second ACL tear, and better health outcomes for Austin Riley, Michael Harris and Ozzie Albies should be pushing this offense back toward its 2023 form. It’s a matter of time before they are a feared lineup again.
The baseball season is young. Time to check news.
News to Know
NBA playoffs bring drama, dominance
Yesterday’s quadruple header of Game 1s delivered a good old-fashioned beatdown, plenty of late-game dramatics and a team that couldn’t miss. A quick recap:
Quite the start. Get caught up with our NBA staff’s full takeaways from every game. More playoffs:
Stanley Cup favorites win Game 1s
The Jets needed a Kyle Connor game-winning goal with 1:36 left in the third period to escape with a win over the Blues. Our NHL staff has more takeaways from a back-and-forth Game 1 in Winnipeg. In the late game, the current title favorite Avalanche (+600, per BetMGM) handed the Stars their eighth straight (!) Game 1 loss. Their opening goal? Whatever this wizardry is:
Artturi Lehkonen just FLUNG the puck off his skate and into the net without kicking it 🤯 pic.twitter.com/25wwwQBZMy
— B/R Open Ice (@BR_OpenIce) April 20, 2025
More news:
What to Watch
📺 Formula 1: Saudi Arabian Grand Prix
1 p.m. ET on ESPN2
The season is shaping up like a McLaren runaway, with the biggest drama being which driver in the orange car, Lando Norris or Oscar Piastri, wins the drivers’ championship. The midfield has subplots, though, like Williams rising despite new signee and ex-Ferrari driver Carlos Sainz struggling.
📺 NBA: Magic at Celtics, Game 1
3:30 p.m. ET on ABC
The defending champs are second, behind the Thunder, in The Athletic’s pre-playoff power ranking. Boston is the East’s No. 2 seed, and Orlando the No. 7? Any shot at the 41-41 Magic pulling a series upset? Not really. We don’t lie to you in The Pulse. But Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner are fun to watch and good for 50 points per game between them.
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📺 NHL: Senators at Maple Leafs, Game 1
7 p.m. ET on ESPN2
The Battle of Ontario hits the playoffs, just like in the pre-2005 lockout days. The Leafs look to avoid an early-round exit for the ninth year in a row. The Sens are an intriguing wild-card team, playing in the playoffs for the first time since 2017. Hostilities will flair.
Pulse Picks
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(Top photo: Sean M. Haffey / Getty Images)
