Future Friars!
The more I have been looking at the MLB Futures board, the more I love what the Padres bring to the table. Being in a division with the Dodgers gives them +Odds to even just take home the NL West crown, which is excellent value.
They won 89 games with zero contribution from Fernando Tatis, Jr. and they did not acquire Juan Soto until August. Tatis will be 100% healthy coming off his suspension, which ends just 20 games into the Friars' season, and he is arguably one of the five most impactful players in the entire game when on the field. Soto arguably is as well, and both guys are in the top 3 for NL MVP odds. I feel very strongly that you will see their World Series juice dip below the +1000 mark as soon as a healthy Tatis takes the field and launches his first spring training home run.
They have a starting rotation that hangs with the best of them, a very solid bullpen and impact bats (and gloves) across the entire field—which was bolstered even further with the acquisition of Xander Boegarts and the DH additions of Nelson Cruz and Matt Carpenter (sneaky good R/L platoon). Simply put, the team is loaded and incredibly undervalued in Futures markets right now.
I also don't expect them to be content with the current roster, despite how deep and talented it is. If they are in 1st place or fighting for it as the trade deadline approaches, they could go all in with some kind of big splash move (most likely for their rotation: Brandon Woodruff comes to mind).
Oh, and as for their division rivals: the Dodgers are making a purposeful effort to reset their luxury tax penalty and keep spending low in order to go super hard at getting Ohtani next offseason. They lost Trea Turner, Tyler Anderson, Andrew Heaney, Justin Turner and Cody Bellinger, while their best signings were JD Martinez and Noah Syndergaard. It was an abnormally quiet and unimpactful winter for the Dodgers.
Here is how I am betting on San Diego in 2023:
World Series Champs (0.5u) +1100 on DraftKings
National League Champs (0.5u) +500 on DraftKings
NL West Champs (1u) +135 on DraftKings
Wins o92.5 (1u) -115 on DraftKings
3u Total
Let's go, Padres!
