San Diego’s window didn’t slam shut with one bad week. The core still tilts series, the rotation has enough ceiling to steady a month at a time, and the front office has shown it will act rather than admire holes. The scars from recent Octobers are real, but so are the lessons, how to manage leverage innings, where depth must be thicker, and which bats need insulating. That’s not a teardown recipe; it’s the blueprint of a team that keeps knocking until the door swings.
Despite another postseason heartbreak, this time at the hands of the Chicago Cubs, the San Diego Padres will be in contention for a while longer.