The San Diego Padres made the playoffs in 2022 and beat the New York Mets and the Los Angeles Dodgers – perhaps the biggest National League favorites – in consecutive series.
They have signed Manny Machado, Xander Bogaerts, and other high-profile free agents in recent offseasons.
They have also traded for Juan Soto, Austin Nola, Joe Musgrove, Blake Snell, Yu Darvish, and others in recent campaigns.
They groomed Fernando Tatis Jr.
And they have all those players locked and loaded for another run at the National League pennant in 2023.
It’s a great time to be a Padres fan, or as new member of the organization Ethan Salas puts it, “who doesn’t want to be a Padre during these times?”.
“I asked #1 international prospect Ethan Salas what intrigued him about the Padres. Salas: ‘Who doesn’t want to be a Padre during these times?’ The hype around the Padres’ organization is reaching far beyond San Diego,” Padres radio personality Sammy Levitt tweeted.
I asked #1 international prospect Ethan Salas what intrigued him about the Padres.
Salas: “Who doesn’t want to be a Padre during these times?”
The hype around the Padres’ organization is reaching far beyond San Diego. pic.twitter.com/5z7NWI5oSw
— Sammy Levitt (@SammyLev) January 18, 2023
Fans are already excited about the 2023 campaign.
With that core of stars, who wouldn’t be excited?
They also have a dominant bullpen, with Josh Hader and Robert Suarez leading the way.
Salas, a 16-year-old catcher signed on January 15, is still a long way from the majors.
But it was an important move by San Diego, as they have to replenish their stock of impact prospects after so many trades.
Salas, who got a signing bonus in excess of $5.5 million, has the potential to be a star.
He needs time and proper coaching, but he could be the Padres’ starting catcher four years from now.
He is in the right organization, as it turns out, as San Diego has had a lot of success developing prospects in recent memory.
NEXT: Padres Share A Hype Video For Latest Top Signing