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After the latest reports that the San Diego Padres are out of the Roki Sasaki sweepstakes, it looks like they'll be coming up short on both ends of the battery in 2025.
As if the Padres' disaster of an offseason hasn't already been a large enough source of entertainment for Los Angeles Dodgers fans, their most recent signing absolutely reeks of desperation. The departures of Kyle Higashioka and Elias Diaz left a gaping hole behind the plate, which San Diego decided to fill with – wait for it – Martin Maldonado.
That's right; the Padres' grand plan at the catcher position in 2025 consists of Luis Campusano and a 38-year-old who hasn't hit above .200 since the pandemic-shortened 2020 season. Bless their hearts.
Padres’ latest awful move makes it clear they won’t be a threat to Dodgers in 2025
In fairness, Maldonado's contract is a minor-league deal, so there's no guarantee he even makes the Padres' roster next season. Still, he's basically a fossil, so the fact that San Diego offered him any kind of contract for next season when he should be kicking up his feet in retirement is laughable.
The Chicago White Sox – yes, the historically bad 2024 Chicago White Sox – designated Maldonado for assignment in July. The fact that he didn't get picked up by another team before the end of the season, even on a minor-league contract, probably should have been an indication that it was time for him to hang up the spikes for good. Well, that and the fact that he's pushing 40 and moves like he's 60.
Sure, he's a World Series champion, and he's a gritty blue collar-type player who's well respected around the league. But Maldonado does absolutely nothing to make the Padres better in 2025. If anything, the signing makes them look even more pathetic and desperate.
Now that they've lost out on Sasaki, it should be fun to see what desperation moves the Padres resort to next. In the meantime, the Dodgers will be laughing their way to the top of the NL West.
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