The 2024 campaign was a relatively strong one for the Padres, despite the ending. San Diego won 93 games last season, second-most in franchise history behind the 1998 squad. The Padres saw some breakthrough performances, highlighted by a dominant rookie and a righty who excelled in his first season in San Diego. Here’s a recap of the Padres’ 2024 season, plus a look ahead to 2025.
The Offense
| Stat | Number | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| Runs Scored | 760 | 8th |
| Home Runs | 190 | 10th |
| OPS | .745 | 6th |
| Whiff% | 20.3% | 1st |
| Hard Hit% | 38.6% | 17th |
The Pitching
| Stat | Number | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| Starters’ ERA | 3.91 | 13th |
| Relievers’ ERA | 3.78 | 11th |
| Strikeouts | 1,453 | 6th |
| Whiff% | 27.0% | 4th |
| Chase% | 29.3% | 7th |
The Good
The Padres were up against it last winter. San Diego saw Blake Snell, Seth Lugo, Michael Wacha, and Josh Hader all depart via free agency and needed to make a major decision on Juan Soto, who had a year left of control before he could go to market. Their front office killed two birds with one stone, as the Padres traded Soto to the Yankees for Major League-ready pitching talent, highlighted by Michael King.
King broke out as a starter in 2023 after he made the most of his chance in the Yankees’ rotation. In his first full season as a MLB starter, King finished 10th in the league in strikeouts (201) and posted a strong 2.95 ERA. He had some rough patches here and there but his stuff, highlighted by a powerful two-seamer with run and a plus sweeper, netted him plenty of whiffs.
The righty was part of a strong rotation, one that saw another addition, Dylan Cease, rejuvenated in San Diego. Cease, acquired from the White Sox in March, finished fourh in strikeouts (224) in what was his fourth-straight season of 200+ strikeouts.
San Diego also received strong contributions from Yu Darvish and Joe Musgrove. Musgrove struggled in the early parts of the year but returned off the IL with a vengeance in the summer. He finished the season 13th in the league in ERA (2.15, min. 30 IP) and a 57/8 K/BB ratio from August 1 to the playoffs.
However, Musgrove didn’t pitch in the postseason as he required Tommy John surgery. He’ll miss the 2025 season in an early blow to the Padres.
As for their bullpen, Robert Suarez replaced Hader with little problems. Suarez, who came onto the scene as a hard-throwing weapon in 2022, notched 36 saves for San Diego in 2024. He captained a good bullpen that included Tanner Scott and Jason Adam down the stretch, plus Yuki Matsui, among others.
Offensively, the Padres were a well-balanced machine with both power and contact.
San Diego had three Silver Slugger Award winners, including Jackson Merrill and Jurickson Profar. Now, at the beginning of the year, we noted Merrill — an above-average contact hitter with pop — could develop into a 20-25 home run hitter. He did that in his rookie campaign, as Merrill belted 24 home runs and played exceptional defense in center.
Profar, meanwhile, was one of the coups of the 2023-24 free agent market. The Padres outfielder had a tough time in Colorado but returned to San Diego late in 2023 and re-signed with the team in February. Profar was highly valuable as a on-base threat before but his power showed out in 2024, as he set career highs in home runs (24) and OPS (.839).
The Padres’ lineup was deep to begin with. However, it got significantly better when San Diego acquired Luis Arraez in May. Arraez hit .318/.346/.398 with the Padres, slotting in as a sparkplug needed for the big bats.
The Bad
It’s hard to find any sour notes from the Padres’ 2024 season. Well, aside from Games 4 and 5 of the NLDS, where the Padres’ lineup was shut out by the Dodgers in both contests. However, not everyone produced to par.
The Padres did get a bounceback season from Jake Cronenworth, who drove in 83 and had 49 extra-base hits. However, Ha-Seong Kim (.233/.330/.370) wasn’t the offensive force he was in 2023. Kim also missed the final few weeks and the playoffs with a shoulder injury.
The 29-year-old shifted to short in 2024 after San Diego moved Xander Bogaerts to second base. It was a move that felt like it was coming for a while, dating back to his Red Sox days. Bogaerts was never a dominant defender at short, thanks to below-average range at the position despite good speed and a fringe-average arm. He fit in fine at second base (+6 OAA) but not at short (-1 OAA) when he played there.
Bogaerts’ bat, though, continued to decline. He posted a .264/.307/.381 in 2024, with his lowest ISO (.117) since 2015. The power has gone down year by year since 2019, when he hit 33 home runs in that season. It’ll be a storyline to watch heading into 2025, the third season in his 11-year deal.
One other piece of info worth noting in this section is that Luis Campusano‘s numbers (.227/.281/.361) weren’t spectacular. Campusano hit .331/.375/.500 in the second half of 2023, a positive step forward for the 25-year-old and former top prospect. However, he lost significant playing time to Kyle Higashioka, who activated more power in his swing after becoming more closed, a tip from ex-teammate Giancarlo Stanton.
Campusano will likely get a shot to take that job back in 2025. Higashioka became a free agent after 2024.
Early Projected Lineup for 2025
- C: Luis Campusano
- 1B: Jake Cronenworth
- 2B: Tyler Wade
- 3B: Manny Machado
- SS: Xander Bogaerts
- OF: (FA Addition) (LF), Jackson Merrill (CF), Fernando Tatis Jr. (RF)
- DH: Luis Arraez
- SP: Yu Darvish, Dylan Cease, Michael King, Matt Waldron, Randy Vasquez
- RP: Robert Suarez, Jason Adam, Yuki Matsui, Adrian Morejon, Jeremiah Estrada, Jhony Brito, Wandy Peralta, Bryan Hoenig
While the Padres lost Tanner Scott to free agency, one of the relievers acquired by San Diego midseason — Jason Adam — is still under control for 2025. Adam will be a part of a deep Padres bullpen, one that will likely include Jeremiah Estrada and Adrian Morejon, the former of whom broke out in 2024.
The Padres’ bullpen and rotation, for the most part, are set. Their lineup, however, is a different story.
San Diego saw Ha-Seong Kim and Jurickson Profar hit the market, as did the aforementioned Kyle Higashioka. It leaves the Padres with some holes and some questions with how San Diego will construct their lineup.
Will San Diego be willing to let Bogaerts play short in 2025? The Padres gave former Orioles farmhand Mason McCoy some time at the position after Kim’s injury but San Diego doesn’t have marquee options internally. Additionally, the Padres may need to look into a corner outfielder to replace Profar or attempt another re-union.