Let’s take a look at the season that was for the 2024 San Diego Padres, the questions the team must address this winter and the early outlook for 2025.
Read more: 2024 MLB offseason previews: What’s next for the Orioles, Astros, Phillies and more?
Postseason outcome
The Padres cruised to a sweep of the Braves in the wild-card round but lost to the Dodgers in five games in the NLDS. They lost a back-and-forth Game 1 before putting on a show in a raucous Game 2. They went up two games to one with a 6-5 victory at a rocking Petco Park in Game 3, but the Dodgers rallied back for shutout victories in Games 4 and 5.
Overall, Fernando Tatis (1.500 OPS), Jackson Merrill (.833) and Kyle Higashioka (1.062) carried the offense in the postseason, with significant contributions from David Peralta. But Luis Arraez had an awful postseason (.226 average), and Jake Cronenworth (.136) and Xander Bogaerts (.167) weren’t much better. The Padres’ offense finished the postseason by not scoring in 24 consecutive innings.
In the rotation, Dylan Cease was the one who struggled the most, as the Dodgers got to him in Game 1 and Game 4, both Padres losses. Michael King and Yu Darvish were effective, though not always backed by run support, and the bullpen was mostly solid. Losing Joe Musgrove in October hurt and might’ve been the difference in a hard-fought series.
Things that went right
The Padres were a model of perseverance this year, as they were 50-50 after 100 games before rallying to finish tied for the fourth-best record in baseball. The team overcame long-term injuries to its franchise player — Fernando Tatis Jr. appeared in 102 games — and two key starting pitchers to stay in the race until a healthy squad was able to pull away from the competition down the stretch.
On the hitting side, success came via balanced contributions from several Padres. Jurickson Profar was the surprise player, as he was expected to make minimal contributions on a one-year deal but instead led the club in OPS and runs scored. Manny Machado had another solid season, topping the Padres in home runs and RBI. Jackson Merrill exceeded all rookie-year expectations by hitting .292 with 24 homers and a .826 OPS.
A pair of offseason acquisitions bolstered the pitching staff. Michael King, who was part of the Juan Soto trade, led the Padres in ERA. Dylan Cease, who was acquired from…