On the latest episode of Talking Friars, I sat down with San Diego Padres fan Joe Dreamz to talk more about all that went on at FanFest over the weekend. We went through the positives of the day in addition to what the organization can improve on for next FanFest. Plus, how do we think the roster is shaping up as we head into Spring Training in the next couple weeks?

Today was a day San Diego Padres fans have been waiting for for a long time. 150,000 tickets were claimed by the Friar Faithful within days of tickets being made available so we knew it was going to be packed. It was great to see Petco Park packed again with all of us so excited for the season to begin. You can find Ben Fadden's thoughts on the day in the latest episode of Talking Friars!

One of the biggest questions heading into Spring Training in a couple weeks around the San Diego Padres is whether or not they’ll be able to make progress with Manny Machado and/or Juan Soto on contract extensions. A.J. Preller discussed the latest on that with Buster Olney on “Baseball Tonight” earlier today, saying that discussions will begin here in the next couple weeks/months. What are the chances of an extension getting done? Plus, what are fans looking forward to most on Saturday at FanFest?

The Athletic’s Dennis Lin has published his annual San Diego Padres fan survey where he asks fans their thoughts on the franchise. How confident are you in A.J. Preller? How would you rate the performance of Bob Melvin? What is your confidence level in Fernando Tatis Jr. making a successful return in 2023? Will the Padres keep Manny Machado beyond this season? How concerned are you in the lack of starting pitching? Will the Padres make it to the World Series in the next two seasons? All of these questions and more are answered on this episode of Talking Friars!

Colorado Rockies owner Dick Monfort told the Denver Post over the weekend that he doesn’t agree with “what the Padres are doing” despite his fans “probably” agreeing with it. Monfort added San Diego and other clubs “have spent a lot of money” which has put “a lot of pressure” on the Rockies organization. Monfort also made sure to mention that San Diego’s roster has some holes. Let’s be honest—he should be the last one talking about other team’s holes.

Credit to the San Diego Union Tribune’s Kevin Acee and Annie Heilbrunn for their great piece this morning on Fernando Tatis Jr.’s offseason. He’s been working out with Joe Musgrove and other Padres teammates in the pool to get ready for all of the challenges he will face during the 2023 season. Tatis says his shoulder is fully healed and his wrist is 90%. A lot of information to react to in this episode of Talking Friars!

The Athletic’s Dennis Lin put out another mailbag this week with some interesting tidbits. He says the San Diego Padres viewed losing Christian Vazquez was one of the bigger disappointments of the offseason. What could’ve that meant for Luis Campusano? Plus, some team officials have acknowledged that bringing back Juan Soto long term may be difficult. What does this mean for the Padres over the course of the next couple seasons? Should they trade him if it’s clear he isn’t going to sign an extension? All this and more discussed on the latest episode of Talking Friars!

Bob Nightengale came out with a report earlier this month that the San Diego Padres plan to be “all in” on Shohei Ohtani next offseason but he was the only one to report that at the time. But another writer—Dennis Lin, who knows the Padres better than Nightengale—reported yesterday that the Padres will definitely be in on the Los Angeles Angels superstar. Thus, it definitely seems like Ohtani is going to be discussed inside the Padres front offices. But what level of interest will San Diego have in Ohtani in terms of money? The franchise does intend to keep Manny Machado beyond 2023 and you’d think they’re going to make an effort to either extend Juan Soto or bring him back when he’s a free agent as well. Plus, a move in MLB was made this week that lowers the chances of Ha-Seong Kim being dealt. And last but not least, would it be smart for the Padres to use a six-man rotation? All this and more on this episode of Talking Friars!

The San Diego Padres let Mike Clevinger walk this offseason after a poor postseason performance but they are now linked back to him, as The Athletic is reporting that he is being investigated by Major League Baseball following domestic violence allegations.

You could argue that the San Diego Padres could be a stronger team if they added a couple more pieces to the roster before Spring Training but do they actually need to in order for them to be a postseason caliber team?

It seemed like former San Diego Padres outfielder Jurickson Profar was set to receive a four or five-year contract before the offseason started but he is still sitting unsigned. General manager A.J. Preller has only made some minor depth signings in the outfield so is there room for a bigger move to bring back a fan favorite? Plus, a Boston Red Sox beat writer is projecting that Ha-Seong Kim will be their starting shortstop. Is a trade that likely?

On the latest episode of Talking Friars, Casey Stern joined the show to talk about A.J. Preller’s offseason, the main area of concern for the club, what the Fernando Tatis Jr. reception will look like, what the Xander Bogaerts signing could mean for the future of the franchise and if he thinks the Padres are actually going to be all in on Shohei Ohtani.

An interesting report came out over the weekend by Bob Nightengale saying that the Los Angeles Dodgers’ stiffest competition for Shohei Ohtani will be the San Diego Padres, “who also plan to be all in” on the two-time All-Star. Should we actually believe this?

The San Diego Padres have had one heck of an offseason and Alex Curry came on the show today to talk about where they stand in the National League, if the Dodgers have had a disappointing offseason and what the Carlos Correa signing in Minnesota means for the Friars.

AJ Preller wanted to bring in Nelson Cruz before last season but saw him head to the Washington Nationals. Well he got his wish this time around, as the 42-year-old is coming to San Diego for $1 million. What will his role be and what does this signing mean for what’s next for the Padres?

The San Diego Padres could be set in their starting rotation but there’s still room to improve if the opportunity presents itself. Johnny Cueto just signed with the Miami Marlins, which leaves Michael Wacha as arguably the best remaining free agent starter on the market. In other words, there aren’t any great starters left. But what about the trade market?

The San Diego Padres number one priority going into this offseason was to acquire starting pitching and you could make the case they’ve done that with the additions of Seth Lugo, Wilmer Font, Brett Honeywell Jr., and Julio Teheran. With that said, you could also make the case that San Diego could use one more. If they don’t land Johnny Cueto, does it need to be through free agency though when there are more worthwhile free agent outfielders out there?

Manny Machado is the best third baseman in baseball and he is going to be looking to be paid like it at the end of 2023 if he opts out of the remaining five years left on the contract he signed back in 2019 with the San Diego Padres. Us fans hope he doesn’t get to free agency but what will Peter Seidler have to pay Machado for that not to happen? Plus, there’s a positive clue out on social media involving Machado that should give fans faith that the Padres will ultimately get a deal done.

New San Diego Padres shortstop Xander Bogaerts won the World Series with the Boston Red Sox in 2018 against the Los Angeles Dodgers. He had some pretty good talent around him—Mookie Betts, Rafael Devers and J.D. Martinez just to name a few—but he might have more talent around him this season in the brown and gold. We won’t know if that’s the case until the games are played but let’s go through the projections!

Happy New Year! 2022 was a blast but 2023 might be even better for our San Diego Padres. In this episode, Ben Fadden gives you eight predictions for the 2023 calendar year (some involve Fernando Tatis Jr., Manny Machado and Trent Grisham).

We’re almost done with 2022 so it’s a great time to look back on everything that happened involving our San Diego Padres this year. There was a lockout and then there wasn’t. Fernando Tatis Jr. missed the entire season. There was an Opening Day trade that paved the way for A.J. Preller to acquire Josh Hader. Manny Machado had a MVP-caliber season. Juan Soto and Xander Bogaerts are Padres. Oh, and did you hear about the Padres slaying the dragon? Let’s take a deep dive into what happened for 2022!

A new report came out today in The Athletic stating that the San Diego Padres are open to discussing Ha-Seong Kim and Trent Grisham in trades. Does it make sense to deal one of them? Plus, the Friars have expressed interest in acquiring Marlins starter Pablo Lopez but does a trade make sense between Miami and San Diego? All that and more on this episode of Talking Friars!

The San Diego Padres had a year to remember, as they reached their first NLCS since 1998. There were a ton of memorable games but which made the top five?

The San Diego Padres have had a successful offseason...so far. They’ve added to the pitching staff, found someone who can be this year’s version of Brandon Drury or Wil Myers at a cheaper price and acquired some depth at the catching position. With that said, they still need to go get another starting caliber outfielder who can play at least until Fernando Tatis Jr. returns. Who could that be? Let’s go over five players the Padres should target in free agency!

There’s a ton to talk about today! Wil Myers is no longer a Padre but he’s still receiving tons of love from San Diego (deservedly so). Could he return before the trade deadline? Plus, what should the Padres be wishing for this Christmas? All that and more on this episode of Talking Friars!