San Diego Padres

The San Diego Padres were aggressive at the trade deadline with Juan Soto as their primary addition. The question now is whether they will engage in contract extension discussions with the star outfielder, and his agent has what he believes is the answer.

"I don't think it's a question of 'if' they'll do that," Scott Boras told reporters. "I think the question is how they do that. I'm sure before they traded for him, they had a lot of that in mind."

Boras was also asked how open to those discussions Soto, who is not scheduled for free agency until after the 2024 season, would be this offseason.

"The great thing is he had time to acclimate himself there," the agent said. "It's not exactly a difficult market to adjust to. I think he's enjoyed his time there and has certainly enjoyed the competitiveness of the team, being in the playoffs."

San Diego landed Soto, Josh Hader, Josh Bell and Brandon Drury in a flurry of trade deadline moves and parlayed the aggression into a National League Championship Series appearance.

While the Padres lost to the Philadelphia Phillies, it isn't difficult to envision more deep playoff runs next year and beyond with the return of Fernando Tatis Jr. to a core that now features one of the best players in baseball in the 24-year-old Soto.

His resume already includes a World Series title from his time on the Washington Nationals, a batting title, two All-Star selections, two Silver Slugger awards and a Home Run Derby crown.

Yet he got off to a slow start with the Padres and ended up slashing .236/.388/.390 with six home runs and 16 RBI in 52 games following the trade.

It may have taken some time to get acclimated, as Boras highlighted, but Soto's track record suggests he will return to his position as one of the league's best in the coming seasons. The Padres will likely have to pay him accordingly, though, to keep him.

After all, the two-time All-Star rejected a 15-year, $440 million extension offer from the Nationals in July, which started the process that ended with him being traded to the Padres.

Whether it will take more than that for San Diego to keep him aboard remains to be seen, but it will surely take quite the offer. Given Soto's age, production and star power, there will likely be other teams more than happy to pay such high numbers if the Padres can't come to an agreement.

The San Diego Padres were eliminated from the 2022 postseason on Sunday with a 4-3 loss to the Philadelphia Phillies in Game 5 of the National League Championship Series at Citizens Bank Park, and manager Bob Melvin has had to defend his controversial call at the end of the game.

After Bryce Harper put the Phillies on top in the bottom of the eighth inning with a two-run home run, the Padres came up to bat in the top of the ninth down a run.

Phillies reliever David Robertson struck out Wil Myers before walking the next two batters. Robertson was replaced by Ranger Suárez, as Trent Grisham stepped up to the dish with the chance to put the Padres back on top.

Instead of trying to get a hit, Grisham bunted—putting both runners in scoring position—and was the second out of the inning. Austin Nola then hit a fly ball to right field for the third and final out.

Melvin defended his decision to have Grisham bunt:

Regarding Grisham’s bunt, Melvin said it was supposed to be something of a hybrid between a bunt for a hit and a sacrifice. They’d noticed 1B playing back, and with the wet grass, felt they could capitalize.

— AJ Cassavell (@AJCassavell) October 23, 2022

In addition to Melvin's controversial bunt call, he also opted not to deploy star reliever Josh Hader in the bottom of the eighth inning, instead leaving Robert Suarez in for his second inning of work.

It's hard to believe Melvin didn't use his prized trade-deadline acquisition with the team's season on the line, as doing so could have sent the series back to San Diego for Game 6.

The Padres won just one game against the Phillies—an 8-5 victory in Game 2 at Petco Park. The team is now left with a number of questions to answer, one of which should be what else it needs to do to truly field a contending team.

If ever there was a perfect illustration of the phrase "money well spent," it's what $527 million worth of Philadelphia Phillies stars did in Game 1 of the 2022 National League Championship Series.

Take a bow, Bryce Harper and Kyle Schwarber. And especially you, Zack Wheeler.

The three of them put their fingerprints all over the Phillies' 2-0 victory over the San Diego Padres at Petco Park on Tuesday night. Wheeler pitched seven shutout innings, while Harper and Schwarber provided the offense with solo home runs.

Anyone who's just now hearing about Schwarber's long ball should know that they might have literally heard it when it happened. Because when a ball leaves the bat at 120 mph and travels 488 feet, it makes quite the sound.

488 feet! 120 mph! Kyle Schwarber, oh my goodness. 😱 pic.twitter.com/Mh4VGR4E2B

— MLB (@MLB) October 19, 2022

After scoring 31 runs in seven games against the 101-win New York Mets and 111-win Los Angeles Dodgers in the first two rounds of the playoffs, the Padres offense basically didn't show up on Tuesday. In addition to zero runs, it mustered just one hit.

Thus did the Phillies put San Diego on the losing end of the kind of game that it enjoyed on Oct. 9. They're now just three wins away from returning to the World Series for the first time since 2009.

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Wheeler Continues to be a $118 Million Bargain

There was no shortage of surprised expressions when the Phillies originally signed Wheeler to a five-year, $118 million contract in Dec. 2019.

He was, after all, a guy with great stuff but not a whole lot to show for it. As a New York Met between 2013 and 2019, he lost two seasons to Tommy John surgery and otherwise pitched to an average 100 ERA+.

Brodie Van Wagenen, who was then the Mets' general manager, didn't seem terribly saddened to lose Wheeler. In response to the hurler's back-handed comments about the Mets in Feb. 2020, Van Wagenen clapped back by saying that the team had "helped him parlay two good half-seasons over the last five into $118 million."

Cut to now, and Van Wagenen is out of a job and Wheeler is arguably the best pitcher in Major League Baseball.

Baseball Reference's version of wins above replacement doesn't leave much doubt about it. Wheeler's 15.4 rWAR since the start of the 2020 season put him 2.1 up on the next-best hurler. That about tracks with his 2.82 ERA and 437.1 innings.

As of a couple weeks ago, what Wheeler's resume lacked was any kind of track record in the postseason, much less a successful one. No longer. His three starts in these playoffs have seen him yield only three runs over 19.1 innings.

Zack Wheeler, Pretty 81mph Curveball. 🌈

8th K pic.twitter.com/sglZvKXR3Q

— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) October 19, 2022

An uproar was brewing on social media when Phillies manager Rob Thomson lifted Wheeler after he had thrown only 83 pitches over seven innings. Yet it wasn't without good reasons, as the 32-year-old was only activated off the injured list on Sep. 21 and his velocity had been declining throughout Game 1.

“It was going down a little bit. I think that was why we made that decision," Thomson said. "We had the guys in the bullpen to kind of be able to do that. I think we were all comfortable with it.”

No kidding. Seranthony Domínguez and José Alvarado tore through San Diego hitters in the eighth and ninth innings, striking out three and allowing no hits.

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Harper and Schwarber Are a $409 Million Bargain in Their Own Right

Contrary to the signing of Wheeler, it wasn't necessarily a shocker when the Phillies inked Harper to a 13-year, $330 million contract in March 2019. Both the match and the contract had more or less been expected.

Still, everyone saw the risk. At the time, the deal called for the largest guarantee in North American professional sports. And all for a guy who'd had his ups and downs on either side of a spectacular MVP-winning season for the Washington Nationals in 2015.

Four years later, precisely none of that risk has actually materialized.

Harper's first three seasons in Philadelphia were largely excellent, and never more so than in his second MVP-winning campaign in 2021. A fluke thumb injury did sideline him for two months this summer and rendered him cold after he returned in August, but those hard times are clearly over.

Bryce strikes! #Postseason pic.twitter.com/7ZRCr6vgMp

— MLB (@MLB) October 19, 2022

Harper's blast Tuesday was his fourth of the playoffs. That's already more than he had in 35 games after he was activated off the IL, and it gives him nine postseason home runs for his career.

If there was a polar opposite of the red-hot Harper coming into Game 1, it was Schwarber. He had gone just 1-for-20 through the first six games of these playoffs, putting him at 1-for-32 over his last nine playoff outings overall.

What better way to bust out of a slump than with two well-struck absolutely obliterated hits? Between his 111.3 mph single and 119.7 mph home run, Schwarber is only the 11th player in the Statcast era to record two 110-plus mph hits in a postseason game.

In addition to the NL-leading 46 home runs that he hit in the regular season, call it further justification for the four-year, $79 million contract that he signed this past March.

Are the Phillies' hits typical of MLB's general success rate on nine-figure contracts? That's a firm no, as even "mixed" might be too kind a label for the returns on such deals.

But between Wheeler, Harper, Schwarber and, oh yeah, $115.5 million catcher J.T. Realmuto, there's no doubting that the Phillies wouldn't be where they are right now without their high-priced stars. Call it a sign that sometimes it does pay when you pay to win.

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What's Next for the Phillies and Padres?

Philadelphia and San Diego will meet for NLCS Game 2 on Wednesday at Petco Park, with first pitch scheduled for 4:35 p.m. ET. FOX and FS1 will have the broadcast.

The pitching matchup for Game 2 will feature Aaron Nola (32 GS, 205.0 IP, 3.25 ERA) for the Phillies against Blake Snell (24 GS, 128.0 IP, 3.38 ERA) for the Padres.

Following an off day on Thursday, Game 3 will be in Philadelphia on Friday at 7:37 p.m. ET.

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Stats courtesy of Baseball Reference, FanGraphs and Baseball Savant.

The New York Mets couldn't touch San Diego Padres starter Joe Musgrove on Sunday night, managing just one walk and a hit against him in seven innings en route to a 6-0 loss that ended their season.

So they resorted to last-gasp tactics, asking the umpires to do a substance check on Musgrove's...ears.

Mets manager Buck Showalter called for a substance check on Joe Musgrove.

The umpires looked at Musgrove's hand, glove, hat and ears.

They found nothing and Musgrove remained in the game. pic.twitter.com/UVyzzuTK3T

— ESPN (@espn) October 10, 2022

Musgrove didn't really blame them.

"I get it, dude," he said on ESPN after the game (h/t Bill Shaikin of the Los Angeles Times.) "They're on their last leg. They're desperate."

Showalter explained his side of the situation after the game:

Buck Showalter talks about having the umpires check Jose Musgrove for substances:

"I'm charged with doing what's best for the New York Mets. However it might make me look, I'm going to do that every time and live with the consequences." pic.twitter.com/CzjSz9b8Qm

— SNY (@SNYtv) October 10, 2022

There was a point this season when the Mets looked like legitimate World Series contenders. At the very least, they seemed poised to win the NL East before the Atlanta Braves ran them down late in the year.

To go from those heights to examining an opposing player's ears during a Wild Card elimination game in which they only managed one hit is one tough pill to swallow.

The New York Mets are under the most pressure of the eight Wild Card Series participants.

The Mets blew a 10.5-game lead over the Atlanta Braves in the National League East and now have to play the San Diego Padres at home just to get into the NLDS, where they would then face the Los Angeles Dodgers.

New York's recent losses in Atlanta put the franchise in a precarious situation and potentially on the brink of 2022 being labeled a huge disappointment.

The Mets tried to replicate Atlanta's trade deadline strategy from 2021, as they brought in some role players to bolster their lineup. Tyler Naquin, Daniel Vogelbach and Darin Ruf have been disappointing. Meanwhile San Diego's top trade acquisition, Juan Soto, is heating up at the right time.

WFAN's Gregg Giannotti delivered an honest take on where the Mets stand going into the three-game set that begins on Friday at Citi Field.

"What did the Padres do at the trade deadline? Went all in. What did the Mets do? Got a bunch of tomato cans"

Boomer says Billy Eppler will be grilled if the Mets can't beat the Padres:https://t.co/tSc8seo088

— WFAN Sports Radio (@WFAN660) October 5, 2022

“Pressure’s on, because they have the highest payroll in baseball,” Gio said. “I know the Padres spent a lot of money and are gonna spend even more money on Juan Soto. What did the Padres do at the trade deadline? Went all in. What did the Mets do? Got a bunch of tomato cans and tried to piece the whole thing together with duct tape and string."

The Mets may be using a different strategy than other teams would. Saving Jacob deGrom's arm is under consideration, per Joel Sherman of the New York Post.

"If this plan is used, Scherzer would start Friday night’s opener and—if the Mets win and, thus, do not face elimination Saturday—Chris Bassitt would start Game 2.

"If the Mets lose the opener, the strategy would be to start deGrom in Game 2 to try to avoid elimination. If the Mets win the opener, but then lose Game 2, deGrom would start Game 3 to attempt to save their season," Sherman wrote.

The Mets can utilize this plan because they have Max Scherzer and Bassitt ready to pitch Games 1 and 2 in the best-case scenario. SNY's Danny Abriano outlined how resting deGrom could help the Mets in their potential NLDS matchup with the Dodgers.

This is what I suggested a few days ago and wrote about at length yesterday

If Mets do this and beat Padres in 2 games, they would not only have Jacob deGrom for Game 1 and Game 5 against Dodgers in NLDS, but possibly have Scherzer in relief in Game 5 https://t.co/CDSvBjsXPJ

— Danny Abriano (@DannyAbriano) October 5, 2022

The New York Post's Zach Braziller pronounced that a sweep is needed for the Mets to best contend with the Dodgers due to their potential rotation issues.

If #Mets want to make a run, they really need to sweep Padres and avoid using all three of deGrom, Scherzer and Bassitt. Otherwise, Game 1 of NLDS against the Dodgers is Walker/Carrasco. If they sweep, No. 4 starter doesn't pitch until Game 4.

— Zach Braziller (@NYPost_Brazille) October 5, 2022

New York's problem could be hitting off Yu Darvish, who was dominant in two meetings against the NL East side this season, as Kevin Acee of the San Diego Union-Tribune noted:

Padres won two of three from the Mets in both series they played this season.
Padres faced Max Scherzer once and did not face Jacob deGrom.
In the game in which they beat Scherzer, Eric Hosmer and Trent Grisham homered.
Yu Darvish allowed Mets 1 run in 14 IP in two starts.

— Kevin Acee (@sdutKevinAcee) October 5, 2022

Darvish could be followed by Joe Musgrove or Blake Snell. Padres Radio Network host Sammy Levitt outlined how terrific Musgrove was on the mound this season and how bright San Diego's future is with him in the rotation .

Joe Musgrove's final stats in the regular season during 30 starts:

10-7
2.93 ERA
1.08 WHIP
181 IP
154 H
22 HR
184 K
42 BB
.227 opp. BA

...and a 5-year, $100 million extension with his hometown team.

A very impressive year. Padres fans should be excited for what's to come.

— Sammy Levitt (@SammyLev) October 4, 2022

The Mets also have to deal with Soto, who had plenty of success against them while he was with the Washington Nationals. Ben Fletcher of 760 AM in San Diego pointed out those totals.

Juan Soto career numbers vs. the Mets…

.303 BA, 71 H, 16 HR, 42 RBI, 40 R,

In 68 career games vs. the Mets.

— Ben Fletcher (@Fletchsports) October 5, 2022

Soto actually has worse numbers after the trade deadline compared to Daniel Vogelbach, as Ian O'Connor of the New York Post showed us:

Stunning Mets-Padres stat comparison, post trade-deadline:

Daniel Vogelbach, 145 At-Bats: 6 HR, 25 RBI, .441 SLG, .838 OPS

Juan Soto, 179 At-Bats: 6 HR, 16 RBI, .397 SLG, .790 OPS

— Ian O'Connor (@Ian_OConnor) October 5, 2022

Soto was acquired specifically to bolster San Diego's postseason stock, and he could help the Padres get past the Mets in a series that will likely be decided by one or two swings given how strong the pitchers are on both sides.

The San Diego Padres clinched a berth in the 2022 postseason after the Milwaukee Brewers fell to the Miami Marlins 4-3 on Sunday.

San Diego's in!

The @padres are going to play in the postseason. #CLINCHED pic.twitter.com/4SfVWpKyT3

— MLB (@MLB) October 2, 2022

Petco Park erupts as the Marlins beat the Brewers, securing the Padres’ spot in the postseason! pic.twitter.com/iLW7j8ClS5

— Sammy Levitt (@SammyLev) October 2, 2022

San Diego is currently second in the NL West with an 87-71 record.

The Padres have trailed the Los Angeles Dodgers in the NL West standings all season, but their performance was more than enough to clinch a berth in the NL Wild Card Round.

That said, San Diego hasn't had the easiest of seasons.

It began the year without star shortstop Fernando Tatis Jr., who was recovering from wrist surgery following a reported motorcycle accident.

When Tatis returned on a rehab stint with one of San Diego's minor league affiliates in August, MLB announced he had been suspended for 80 games because of a violation of the league's performance-enhancing drug policy.

The 23-year-old tested positive for the performance-enhancing drug Clostebol. In an apology, he said he was using a medication that contained the substance to treat a ringworm infection.

Ha-Seong Kim has replaced Tatis at shortstop and put together a respectable season, slashing .247/.321/.374 with 10 home runs, 56 RBI and 11 stolen bases in 147 games.

A number of other players have missed time on the injured list with various ailments, including Mike Clevinger, Blake Snell, Wil Myers and Manny Machado, and a handful of players missed time on the COVID-19 list.

One of the most significant aspects of San Diego's season came when it made a blockbuster move for Juan Soto and Josh Bell, though the deal hardly came cheap. In exchange, it sent the Washington Nationals left-handed pitcher MacKenzie Gore, outfielder Robert Hassell III, shortstop C.J. Abrams, outfielder James Wood, right-handed pitcher Jarlin Susana and first baseman/designated hitter Luke Voit.

Soto has had a decent season in San Diego, hitting .238/.394/.401 with six home runs and 16 RBI in 49 games.

Bell, meanwhile, took over for Eric Hosmer, who was traded to the Boston Red Sox at the deadline, at first base. The 30-year-old is hitting .189/.305/.272 with three home runs and 13 RBI in 49 games. He'll need to be better if the Friars want to make a deep postseason run.

Other key contributors for the Padres include Machado, Jake Cronenworth and Jurickson Profar.

The Padres have the tools to win a championship, but it's going to be difficult for them to compete with teams like the Dodgers and New York Mets in the National League.

Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver A.J. Brown said that he meant it when he tweeted earlier this year about trying to play baseball for the San Diego Padres.

While Brown was still under contract with the Tennessee Titans in January, he tweeted the following about potentially being a dual-sport star like Bo Jackson:

Sometimes i think about playing both sports again 🤔@Padres all I need is a workout. I still got 😎 https://t.co/1PRo7ffAWm

— AJ BROWN (@1kalwaysopen_) January 26, 2022

Most assumed Brown was joking, but in an interview with Martin Frank of the Delaware News Journal this week, the star wideout clarified his stance at the time, saying: "I was dead serious. [The Padres] had reached out to me. They were about to invite me to spring training. They were just waiting on an answer from me."

The 25-year-old Brown starred in both football and baseball as a high schooler in Mississippi, and he signed with the Padres after they selected him in the 19th round of the 2016 MLB draft, although he has exclusively focused on football since then.

At the time of his tweet, Brown was unhappy with his contract situation in Tennessee, but things were rectified in April when he was traded to Philly and signed a new deal.

That essentially put a stop to any talk of Brown trying to play for the Padres in 2022, as Brown divulged that the Padres told him he would have to be all-in if he was going to play for them: "They were telling me if I'm [still] going to play football, then I can't play baseball. I can't just play around with [baseball]. So it kind of killed my chances for the moment."

The decision to play football has paid off for Brown thus far, however. He was a second-round pick in 2019 out of Ole Miss and earned one Pro Bowl selection in his three seasons with the Titans.

He is also off to a hot start during his first season in Philadelphia, racking up 15 receptions for 224 yards in two games.

While Brown has clearly chosen the right career path, he isn't completely closing the door on trying to make it in Major League Baseball one day, saying: "Who knows? Maybe when I'm done playing football, I'll go play baseball."

Few athletes have enjoyed success in both the NFL and MLB. Of the several men who played in both leagues, Jackson and Deion Sanders are perhaps the only ones who experienced a significant measure of success in both.

Brown is an elite-level athlete who may have the potential to thrive as a baseball player, but as long as he continues to establish himself as one of the NFL's premier wideouts, it is difficult to envision him changing his career path.

San Diego Padres shortstop Fernando Tatis Jr., who is suspended 80 games for violating Major League Baseball's performance-enhancing drugs policy, addressed the media about his punishment for the first time Tuesday.

"I'm truly sorry," he told reporters. "… I have let so many people down. I have lost so much love from people. I have failed."

He also said: "There's no other one to blame but myself … I'm going to remember how this feels, and I'm not going to put myself in this position ever again. I know I have a lot of love I have to gain back. I have a lot of work to do. It's going to be a very long process."

Tatis also explained his immediate reaction to the news of his suspension:

Tatis on leaving unannounced the day the news broke: “I freaked out. I know it was going to be a hard moment.”

Said he needed to be with his family, and knows there are different steps he could’ve taken.

— Darnay Tripp (@DarnayTripp) August 23, 2022

Tatis released a statement following the punishment that said he "inadvertently took a medication to treat ringworm that contained Clostebol." On Tuesday, he said he received the medication for a skin infection prior to testing positive in July but did not have any excuses.

The 23-year-old will not play a single game this season because of the suspension. He was previously sidelined with a fractured wrist that Kevin Acee of the San Diego Union-Tribune noted he suffered from a motorcycle fall and was on a minor league rehab assignment when news of the suspension broke.

Acee noted Tatis met with team chairman Peter Seidler on Saturday and addressed teammates Tuesday before his press conference with the media.

That was notable because his punishment led to a cold reaction from some within the organization. Bob Nightengale of USA Today reported "the Padres remain absolutely livid with Tatis," while president of baseball operations A.J. Preller questioned his maturity:

I'm sure he's very disappointed but at the end of the day, it's one thing to say it. you have to start by showing it with your actions." (2/2)

— Dennis Lin (@dennistlin) August 13, 2022

Some teammates also responded:

Some Padres weighed in on Fernando Tatis Jr.'s suspension pic.twitter.com/ebMxbMHmPP

— B/R Walk-Off (@BRWalkoff) August 13, 2022

Preller told reporters Tuesday that he has discussed Tatis' mistakes with the shortstop and there is an understanding in place that he needs to become more mature.

After all, the two-time Silver Slugger is one of the faces of the franchise, especially after he signed a 14-year, $340 million contract extension in 2021. While the team turned heads at the trade deadline by adding Juan Soto, Josh Bell, Brandon Drury and Josh Hader, the impending return of Tatis figured to give San Diego an even better chance at winning the World Series.

Instead, he is sidelined as the Padres attempt to build on their 1.5-game lead over the Milwaukee Brewers for the final National League Wild Card spot.

Tatis will also use his time away to get healthier, as Jeff Sanders of the San Diego Union-Tribune reported he will undergo surgery on his shoulder.

San Diego Padres star Fernando Tatis Jr. is set to undergo shoulder surgery, he revealed Tuesday while meeting with the media for the first time since being suspended for violating MLB's performance-enhancing substance policy.

Tatis was placed on the injured list three separate times during the 2021 campaign because of a left shoulder injury. However, he opted not to undergo surgery to fix the ailment during the offseason.

The 23-year-old didn't play at all during the 2022 season after breaking a bone in his left wrist and having surgery in March. He was slated to return at some point this year, but his 80-game suspension wiped out the possibility.

The Padres have managed to remain competitive in his absence and are firmly in the wild-card race, and they made the biggest trade splash in recent memory by adding Juan Soto and Josh Bell at the trade deadline in a blockbuster deal with the Washington Nationals.

Add in Manny Machado and a loaded pitching staff, and the Padres are one of the few teams with the star power and talent in the lineup to win while Tatis is out.

But there is no question that the team would prefer to have a healthy Tatis available. He took baseball by storm in 2021, hitting .282 with 43 homers, 97 RBI, 25 stolen bases, 99 runs and a .975 OPS.

That earned him his first All-Star Game nod, and he finished third in the National League MVP voting behind Bryce Harper and his new teammate, Soto. Had he not missed 32 games because of injuries, he might have claimed that award.

Ha-Seong Kim will remain the team's starting shortstop while Tatis is out of action. The Padres will hope to make a deep postseason run with their superstar sidelined.