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Pirates, Padres and Mets: Buy or sell their start to the 2023 season?

By Scott Roche

Oct 2, 2022; Cumberland, Georgia, USA; New York Mets first baseman Pete Alonso (20) reacts after hitting a pop fly against the Atlanta Braves in the seventh inning at Truist Park. Mandatory Credit: Larry Robinson-USA TODAY Sports
Oct 2, 2022; Cumberland, Georgia, USA; New York Mets first baseman Pete Alonso (20) reacts after hitting a pop fly against the Atlanta Braves in the seventh inning at Truist Park. Mandatory Credit: Larry Robinson-USA TODAY Sports /
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MLB news, Padres, Ha-Seong Kim
May 14, 2023; Los Angeles, California, USA; San Diego Padres second baseman Ha-Seong Kim (7) reacts after being called out on strikes against the Los Angeles Dodgers during the fifth inning at Dodger Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports /

San Diego Padres

On paper, the Padres are one of the best teams in the majors, but as they have proved through the first quarter of the season, games are won on the field, not on paper.

They have a loaded lineup with Fernando Tatis, Jr. back, followed by Manny Machado, Juan Soto, and the biggest offseason free agent signing in Xander Bogaerts. Their numbers are not going to jump off the page early in the season, but the potential is there to be a World Series contender.

Out of all the starts to the season, San Diego’s is one of the most head-scratching ones. Offensively, they are 29th with a team batting average of .225, tied with the Seattle Mariners of all teams. Their pitching is in the middle of the pack with a 4.03 ERA, something that won’t get it done in the NL West. They were just swept over the weekend by the Los Angeles Dodgers, being outscored 12-4. Not what you want to see against your biggest competition in the division.

Sell: There is just way too much talent on the roster for them not to figure it out this season. They are seven games back in the division already behind the Dodgers. You can’t win a division in the first quarter of the season, but you can lose one and bury yourself in the standings. I think this is a team that will figure it out before long and finds themselves in the hunt in October baseball, whether it’s by catching Los Angeles or getting a Wild Card spot. There’s just way too much of an upside with this team to play like they have to start the season.

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