Major League Baseball’s Opening Day will be here before you know it. Let’s break down each team’s prognosis into the 2021 season, following an abbreviated 2020 season.

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In 2020, the San Diego Padres ended their 13-year playoff drought finishing second in the National League West Division behind the Los Angeles Dodgers. The Padres have made the postseason six times and lost two World Series across the franchises’ 52-year history. Last season, San Diego finished eighth in ERA with a 3.86 ERA and fourth in homers with 96. From the looks of it, the Padres have what it takes to make the playoffs once again in 2021.

Here are San Diego’s projected starters.

SAN DIEGO PADRES PROJECTED BATTING LINEUP:

1. OF Trent Grisham
2. SS Fernando Tatis Jr
3. 3B Manny Machado
4. 1B Eric Hosmer
5. OF Wil Myers
6. OF Tommy Pham
7. 2B Ha-Seong Kim
8. C Austin Nola
9. Pitcher

SAN DIEGO PADRES PROJECTED PITCHING STAFF:

• SP1 Yu Darvish
• SP2 Blake Snell
• SP3 Dinelson Lamet
• SP4 Chris Paddack
• SP5 Joe Musgrove
• CL Keone Kela

SAN DIEGO PADRES TEAM OUTLOOK:

Over the course of the offseason, San Diego made a plethora of moves. One of those moves was trading starter Joey Lucchesi to the New York Mets in a three-way trade with the Pittsburgh Pirates for starter Joe Musgrove. The Padres also engaged in a trade with the Tampa Bay Rays for ace Blake Snell. The last deal the team participated in was acquiring ace Yu Darvish and his batterymate Victor Caratini from the Chicago Cubs.

Besides trades, the Padres signed relievers Mark Melancon and Keone Kela. They also re-signed Jurickson Profar and added second baseman, Ha-Seong Kim. The padres lost first baseman, Mitch Moreland, relievers Trevor Rosenthal and Kirby Yates, starter Garrett Richards and catcher Jason Castro to the free-agent market. Regarding their pitching, San Diego improved immensely but did not have one up on the Dodgers. Their bullpen has competitive arms, but they could use another elite reliever.

Their offense is powerful because of superstars Fernando Tatis and Manny Machado. The rest of the starting lineup is up to par but doesn’t match the other top teams in baseball. From the looks of it, the Padres will be in the playoff hunt, but they would need a few more pieces to be a World Series caliber team.

San Diego Padres Schedule:

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Major League Baseball’s Opening Day is just around the corner! With that being said, it is time to make predictions for each team heading into the 2021 season following a campaign shortened by the pandemic in 2020.

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The Oakland Athletics have made the postseason in each of the last three years. Their last World Series appearance and win came in 1989. Since 2000, the team has made the postseason 11 times. In 2020, the A’s finished fifth in ERA across the league posting a 3.77 ERA, and finished 19th in home runs with 71 homers. Looking onto 2021, the Athletics should make the postseason once again.

Here are Oakland’s projected starters.

Oakland Athletics Projected Batting Order:

1. SS Elvis Andrus
2. OF Ramon Laureano
3. 3B Matt Chapman
4. 1B Matt Olson
5. OF Mark Canha
6. 1B Mitch Moreland
7. OF Stephen Piscotty
8. C Sean Murphy
9. 2B Tony Kemp

Oakland Athletics Projected Pitching Staff:

• SP1 Jesus Luzardo
• SP2 Sean Manaea
• SP3 Frankie Montas
• SP4 Chris Bassitt
• SP5 Mike Fiers
• CL Trevor Rosenthal

Oakland Athletics Team Outlook:

Over the course of the 2021 offseason, the Athletics made additions to improve their chances at a playoff berth. Oakland signed first baseman Mitch Moreland, closer Trevor Rosenthal and reliever Sergio Romo. In February, they acquired shortstop Elvis Andrus and catcher Aramis Garcia via trade with the Texas Rangers. In this trade, the A’s sent Khris Davis, Johan Heim, and Dane Acker to Texas.

Despite the team’s additions, they lost closer Liam Hendricks, shortstop Marcus Semien, outfielder Robbie Grossman, and starting pitcher Mike Minor during the offseason. With the free-agent additions, the Oakland Athletics have increased the likelihood of postseason success. Additionally, they will make a deep run if they push two of their up-and-coming pitchers to ace status.

Oakland Athletics Schedule:

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