The Friar Faithful can rejoice, as the San Diego Padres have clinched a berth in the 2025 postseason. At the same time, their chances of winning the National League West are growing slimmer by the day.
It is hard to imagine, but we are in the last week of the regular season. The Los Angeles Dodgers lead the Padres by 2.5 games with five to play. If you factor in the tiebreaker, their lead is actually four games.
However, do not despair as the Friars have all but secured the No. 2 seed in the Wild Card
round. It would be quite a collapse for them to fall to the No. 3 seed and face the Dodgers on Sept. 30.
The Padres are very familiar with the Wild Card round, as they swept the Atlanta Braves at Petco Park last October. If the playoff standings remain unchanged, the Friars will travel to Chicago to face the Cubs at Wrigley Field next Tuesday.
Postseason teams can make changes to their roster before the start of each playoff round. Often, a front office will select players who create mismatches for the opposition. One common adjustment to the Wild Card roster is adding more bullpen arms and role players to the bench in place of carrying the entire starting rotation.
Let’s have some fun and predict the Padres’ 26-man roster for the Wild Card round:
Catchers (3): Freddie Fermin, Elias Diaz and Martin Maldonado
Since he arrived from the Kansas City Royals at the trade deadline, Freddie Fermin has become the primary starting catcher for the Friars. His offensive production (.273 with 2 HR and 14 RBI) has been much-needed. Fermin raised his season batting average by 18 points with an aggressive approach at the plate.
Elias Diaz is the backup in this three-catcher postseason mix. Martin Maldonado’s role is as an emergency option should Fermin or Diaz go down with an injury. He returned to the organization following his release in early August. It will not take long for Maldonado to re-acquaint himself with the pitching staff.
Infielders (6): Luis Arraez, Jake Cronenworth, Xander Bogaerts, Manny Machado, Jose Iglesias and Ryan O’Hearn
The only question remaining in the regular season is if Xander Bogaerts is healthy enough to start at shortstop once the playoffs begin. If not, expect the Padres to use a defensive alignment with Jake Cronenworth at shortstop, Luis Arraez at second base and Ryan O’Hearn at first base.
Granted, it is a makeshift infield lineup that is short on defense, but long on offensive production. In ballparks like Wrigley Field, you do not need to field a superb defensive unit. The more bats in the lineup, the better chance to win a road playoff game.
Cronenworth brings versatility to the postseason roster, as he can play three infield positions (first base, second base, and shortstop) without being considered a defensive liability. Remember, his bat comes alive in October. In 25 playoff games, Cronenworth is hitting .244 with two home runs and nine RBI.
Outfielders (5): Ramón Laureano, Jackson Merrill, Fernando Tatis Jr., Gavin Sheets and Bryce Johnson
The Friars have a terrific balance with Ramón Laureano, Jackson Merrill, and Fernando Tatis Jr. in the field and at the plate. The outfield defense has been outstanding since Laureano was added at the trade deadline. Few opposing hitters have garnered extra-base hits against this fast, athletic trio.
Also, expect Gavin Sheets to be used as the designated hitter against the Cubs’ right-handed dominant starting pitching. He has the power to deposit the ball over the vines into the bleachers. Sheets’ plate production (.258 with 19 HR and 69 RBI) has been outstanding all season long.
Bryce Johnson will be used primarily as a pinch-runner late in close games. Plus, he provides a plus glove at all three outfield positions.
Starting pitchers (3): Michael King, Nick Pivetta and Yu Darvish
Michael King and Nick Pivetta will lead off as the top two starters for the Padres in the postseason. The third starter in a possible Wild Card elimination game should be Yu Darvish over Dylan Cease. The main reason is his playoff pitching experience; he has a 4-6 record with a 3.72 ERA in 13 postseason starts, which is unmatched.
Cease has struggled to find consistency on the mound in 2025. It would be a bad move to have him start a win-or-go-home game. No, it is better to leave Cease off the Wild Card roster and have him prepare to start Game 1 in the National League Division Series.
Neither Darvish nor Cease is capable of working out of the bullpen in a short series. If the Friars elect to keep both pitchers on the Wild Card roster, it could be a recipe for disaster.
Bullpen (9): Robert Suarez, Mason Miller, Adrian Morejon, Jeremiah Estrada, Wandy Peralta, Yuki Matsui, Kyle Hart, Randy Vasquez and Bradgley Rodriquez
In a short series, a manager and pitching coach prefer to have a pair of long relievers on their postseason roster. It protects the bullpen from being overworked if a starting pitcher has a short outing. The Friars have two viable candidates in Randy Vasquez and Kyle Hart.
Each pitcher has bullpen experience and a dynamic pitching repertoire to prevent potential scoring rallies from escalating. But make no mistake, Vasquez and Hart are expected to provide length in games when the ‘pen needs to eat up innings.
The Friar Faithful expect their top-tier relievers to work every game in the postseason. The jury is still out on whether Robert Suarez can be effective on the mound three straight days. Do not be surprised if Padres manager Mike Shildt uses Mason Miller to close out the middle game of a short series. Who could argue with the move, as Miller throws in the high-90s and triple digits, and has the pitching arsenal to shut down the opposition.
There are questions the Friars need to answer during the final homestand of the regular season. Shildt could show his cards by positioning his postseason starters in upcoming games. And all eyes will be on Bogaerts once he comes off the IL.
Next Monday will be an interesting day, as the Padres may reveal who is added or removed from the postseason fold.
