Surprise choices behind the plate and on the mound hint at a very specific October blueprint.
October always exposes priorities, and the San Diego Padres just showed theirs with a bracing NL Wild Card Series roster reveal that breaks from the chalk. Instead of leaning on familiarity, San Diego opted for functionality: more contact and late-inning defense behind the plate, fewer left-on-left gambles in the bullpen. It’s a roster built to win tight playoff innings.
The headline move is behind the dish.