With the Padres being eliminated by the Cubs in the Wild Card Series 2 games to 1, some musings with the season now over:

• The Padres played this playoff series pretty much like they have in the regular season with the offense not able to score too many runs and the pitching doing pretty well. I would have taken giving up only 6 runs in a three-game series against a team at their ballpark that slugs (Cubs were third in the NL in home runs during the regular season) going into the series. The Padres only scoring 5 runs total isn’t that surprising considering how the offense has played. They did score 3 of the 5 runs on home runs (60% of their runs) which is substantially higher than what they did in the regular season (about 33% of their runs were on home runs).
• The top of the order with Tatis (1-12 with 2 runs and 1 walk), Arraez (2-11) and Machado (1-10 with 1 HR, 2 RBI, 1 run and 2 walks) really hampered the offense. Manny did have the big home run in the game 2 win in which Tatis scored two of the three runs, which actually shows that the Padres are dependent on the top of the lineup. This put a damper on how well Fermin, Merill and Bogaerts were able to hit in the series, with all three getting on base all three games.
• You have to wonder if this team ever gets over the hump. 4 postseason trips in 6 years is the best period in Padres baseball. One way to look at it, is if you keep giving yourself chances to be in the playoffs, that eventually the team breaks through. You can look at how many times the Dodgers have made the playoffs and how many times they’ve won the World Series, with the same for the Astros and the Braves, with the Braves both recently and when they were making the playoffs in the 90s. The other way to look at it is this team’s already at the ceiling and won’t get over the hump so it’s time to break it up a bit and try something different.
• I do wonder if Manny is the person to really lead this team to the promise land considering his current postseason stats of .209/.259/.423 in 51 postseason games. Not saying he isn’t a part of a championship team but more being the leader of the team as he currently is with the Padres. The team seems to go as he goes and he’s not consistent enough. He’s right when he says he ends up with his baseball card numbers each year but it’s usually because he has hot stretches along with cold stretches. This season is a great example of this where he struggled in April, carried the team in May through July and then ended the season ice cold in August and September. In the playoffs, we need someone who can consistently deliver throughout the month and thus far in Manny’s career he hasn’t done this in multiple playoff runs, including his time before the Padres.
• The Padres can’t really completely revamp or rebuild their team (and they really shouldn’t) so here are my first thoughts on the 2026 lineup:
  C – Fermin and another catcher
  1B – ?
  2B – Cronenworth
  SS – Bogaerts
  3B – Machado
  LF – Laureano
  CF – Merrill
  RF – Tatis
  DH – Sheets and a righty
  Utility IF – Veteran
  Utility OF – Johnson
  O’Hearn could be an option at 1B depending on what his market is, though I feel he may get offers more than what the Padres are looking to pay for a 1B. I wouldn’t be opposed to Diaz coming back to be the catcher behind Fermin and I don’t believe Salas is ready considering his injury-plagued 2025 and with how long it takes catchers to develop. Having a righty to complement Sheets would be a good mix since Sheets can also complement Laureano in LF as needed.
  
  SP – Pivetta
  SP – Musgrove
  SP – Vasquez
  SP – Sears
  SP – ?
  Will need at least two considering how injuries happen in a season, so Waldron could be an option here (and I believe he will still have a minor league option in 2026) in addition to a free agent signing if not multiple signings. Hard to see King or Cease coming back with how the pitching market usually is but will be interesting to see what King’s market looks like after the injury.
  
  RP – Miller
  RP – Morejon
  RP – Adam (may come back after the season starts)
  RP – Estrada
  RP – Matsui (Padres can’t send him down)
  RP – Morgan
  RP – Rodriguez
  RP – Hoeing
  RP – Reynolds
  RP – Marinaccio
  I listed a large amount of relievers as the Padres have pretty good relievers and like the starters, will need additional relievers throughout the course of a season due to injuries or as other things come up. Some of these guys like Rodriguez and Marinaccio will still have minor league options to send up and time as needed to juggle the roster throughout the season.
• With that said, all we can do is look forward to 2026 and hope that sometime soon the team can win that elusive first World Series. As it has been in this decide, I expect it will be another interesting offseason with the Padres. I’ll see everyone at Opening Day on March 26, 2026.