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<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/mlb/san-diego-padres/padres-news-join-dodgers-historic-start-season-seen-22-years');   ga('set', 'title', 'Padres join Dodgers with historic start to season not seen in 22 years');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/Padres-center-fielder-Jackson-Merrill-celebrates-after-hitting-a-home-run.jpg"><figcaption>Denis Poroy-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><h1>Padres join Dodgers with historic start to season not seen in 22 years</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-04-02T23:44:14-07:00">April 2nd, 11:44pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-04-02T23:49:57-07:00">April 2nd, 11:49pm</time><address><a>Rexwell Villas</a>Rexwell Villas is an experienced sports writer covering a variety of sports, including the NFL, NBA, MLB, NHL, and college football. He's a Communications Arts graduate from the University of Santo Tomas in the Philippines, and he claims to have JR Smith's conscience with his shot selection. He has won a basketball, a baseball, and a football championship in fantasy all within a year.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">MLB</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb/san-diego-padres/padres-news-fernando-tatis-jr-drops-9-word-truth-bomb-on-setting-franchise-record">San Diego Padres can’t stop winning</a>. Jackson Merrill and the Friars have played seven games so far in the 2025 MLB regular season and won all of them, including Wednesday night’s series finale at Petco Park in San Diego against the Cleveland Guardians.</p><p>Together with their National League West Division rivals, the Los Angeles Dodgers, the Padres helped author a phenomenon only <a href="https://x.com/SlangsOnSports/status/1907563872187236832" rel="noopener">seen just four times before</a> in MLB history, per Sarah Langs of MLB.com.</p><p>“With the Padres and Dodgers, this is the 5th season where multiple teams started 7-0 or better, joining,” Langs noted in a post on X (formerly Twitter) following San Diego’s victory over Cleveland.</p><p>The other four times that it happened was way back in 1884, 1962, 1982 and much more recently, in 2003 when the Kansas City Royals and the San Francisco Giants started that year’s campaign with 9-0 and 7-0 records, respectively.</p><p>The <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb/los-angeles-dodgers/dodgers-news-dave-roberts-fires-unbeatable-take-shohei-ohtanis-walk-off-hr">Dodgers also stayed undefeated</a> through eight games, after Shohei Ohtani delivered a walk-off home run to cap a come-from-behind 6-5 win on Wednesday against the Atlanta Braves for their third series sweep of the season — and eighth win overall.</p><p>Dylan Cease picked up his first win of the season in the Guardians game, as he allowed just an earned run on four hits with a walk issued and seven strikeouts in 6.1 innings of work. The Padres provided him with ample run support when they scored four runs in the third inning.</p><p>After a slow start to the season, Padres first baseman Luis Arraez appears to have found his groove. He went 2-for-4 with a pair of runs scored in San Diego’s latest win.  Fernado Tatis Jr., Manny Machado and Merrill each had two hits, with Merrill, <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb/san-diego-padres/padres-news-jackson-merrill-135-million-contract-extension">fresh off signing a big contract extension</a>, clobbered a two-run blast in the third frame to give San Diego a 4-0 lead.</p><p>Meanwhile, Robert Suarez shut the door on Cleveland with a clean ninth inning to collect his third save of the season.</p><p>San Diego hopes that it can sustain its form when the Padres head out for their first game away from Petco Park this coming Friday for the start of a three-game series versus the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Padres join Dodgers with historic start to season not seen in 22 years

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/mlb/san-diego-padres/padres-news-fernando-tatis-jr-drops-9-word-truth-bomb-on-setting-franchise-record');   ga('set', 'title', 'Padres’ Fernando Tatis Jr. drops 9-word truth bomb on setting franchise record');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/Fernando-Tatis-Jr-drops-9-word-truth-bomb-on-setting-franchise-record.jpg"></figure><h1>Padres’ Fernando Tatis Jr. drops 9-word truth bomb on setting franchise record</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-04-02T21:15:40-07:00">April 2nd, 9:15pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-04-02T21:15:40-07:00">April 2nd, 9:15pm</time><address><a href="https://letterboxd.com/splooshpuhrty/films/by/your-rating/">Jedd Pagaduan</a>Jedd Pagaduan is a certified Clippers and Gunners fan, which means he's a very sports-traumatized individual. He now writes about sports instead as a form of therapy.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">MLB</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb/san-diego-padres/padres-news-san-diego-reaches-extremely-exclusive-territory-guardians">San Diego Padres have come out of the gates firing</a>, as they continued their hot streak and extended their season-starting winning streak to seven with a 5-2 win over the Cleveland Guardians. The first seven games have gone exactly according to plan for a Padres team raring to redeem itself from the sting of their NLDS defeat to the Los Angeles Dodgers, and star right fielder Fernando Tatis Jr. couldn’t be more pleased with how well his team is playing.</p><p>Following the Padres’ sweep of the Guardians to remain unbeaten thus far in 2025, Tatis <a href="https://www.mlb.com/news/padres-secure-sweep-over-guardians-move-to-7-0?partnerID=mlbapp-iOS_article-share" rel="noopener">praised his team</a> for the excellent baseball they’ve been playing.</p><p>“It’s just been great baseball all the way around,” Tatis said, per AJ Cassavell of MLB.com.</p><p>It’s the first time in franchise history that the team began the season unbeaten through seven games, although the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb/san-diego-padres/padres-news-mike-shildt-empty-admission-blowing-dodgers-nlds">Dodgers, being the ever-present thorn in their side</a>, have managed to match them stride for stride, going undefeated as well in their first eight contests. This is only the fifth time in the history of MLB where two teams have begun the season without a loss through at least seven games, and this is shaping up to be another bloodbath between two NL West powerhouses.</p><p>Tatis was very productive in the Padres’ 5-2 win over the Guardians. He had two hits in four at-bats and he ended up scoring one of his team’s runs. This was a continuation of what a strong 2025 season the Padres right fielder has been having, as he entered the night with an elite slash line of .409/.481/.591 in his continued quest to redeem himself from a few down years to begin the 2020s.</p><p>The Padres will now look to continue their winning ways on Friday when they head on the road for the first time this season to face the Chicago Cubs.</p><h2><b>Padres and Dodgers dominate proceedings to start 2025</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/Jackson-Merrill-with-SD-Padres.jpg"><figcaption>Denis Poroy-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>It’s only fitting that the Padres’ 7-0 start is being matched by the Dodgers; after all, these are two sworn rivals that have bumped into each other in the playoffs. And for San Diego, this is a promising sign that they have kept in stride with their powerhouse division rival even though Los Angeles never seems to run out of resources.</p><p>It won’t be until mid-June, however, that the Padres and Dodgers face for the first time this season. But once they do, expect there to be plenty of fireworks, considering how much talent there is on both teams.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Padres’ Fernando Tatis Jr. drops 9-word truth bomb on setting franchise record

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/mlb/san-diego-padres/padres-news-jackson-merrill-silence-nine-year-contract-extension');   ga('set', 'title', 'Padres’ Jackson Merrill breaks silence after nine-year contract extension');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/Jackson-Merrill-breaks-silence-after-nine-year-contract-extension.jpg"></figure><h1>Padres’ Jackson Merrill breaks silence after nine-year contract extension</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-04-02T11:23:00-07:00">April 2nd, 11:23am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-04-02T11:23:00-07:00">April 2nd, 11:23am</time><address><a>Christopher Hennessy</a>Christopher Hennessy graduated with a journalism degree from Fordham University in 2022. He has also worked at Spectrum News One in Albany, New York and with The Hockey Writers as a New York Islanders writer. Chris is originally from Connecticut and is a lifelong New York Yankees, Islanders, and Jets fan.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">MLB</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The San Diego Padres locked up another one of their superstars on Wednesday. <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb/padres-news-jackson-merrill-135-million-contract-extension">Jackson Merrill signed a nine-year contract extension with the Padres</a> worth $135 million after a fantastic rookie year. He finished second in Rookie of the Year voting last year and signed on despite a lack of offseason spending. Merrill <a href="https://x.com/AJCassavell/status/1907477292336689374" rel="noopener">spoke at a press conference</a> after signing the deal.</p><p>https://twitter.com/AJCassavell/status/1907477292336689374</p><p>Merrill spoke about the way he has worked with the organization to sign this deal and develop as a player. With other stars like Fernando Tatis Jr and Manny Machado on the squad, Merrill knows the team can compete. That is why he says the Padres are the team he wants to play for.</p><p>Merrill was drafted as a shortstop, as were many players on the Padres roster. But he has transitioned into a centerfielder with incredible results and has had a nice start to his second season. Locking Merrill in for the future is a great way to start adding to this core but questions on the mound are still percolating.</p><p>The <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb/mlb-rumors-padres-prefer-to-keep-dylan-cease-michael-king-amid-trade-rumors">Padres have Dylan Cease and Michael King on expiring contracts</a> leading their rotation. Can they keep both starters or will they make a big trade this season?</p><h2><b>The Padres must keep at least one of their starters</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/Jackson-Merrill-with-SD-Padres.jpg"><figcaption>Denis Poroy-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>Cease came to the Padres in a spring trade from the Chicago White Sox before last season. King joined the Padres as part of the Juan Soto trade that sent the slugger to the Yankees last winter. They were both excellent in their first year with San Diego and helped them beat the Atlanta Braves in the Wild Card round.</p><p>Merrill was important to keep for the Padres but the pitching is key for the immediate future. After a 6-0 start, San Diego is not going to be trading King or Cease anytime soon. But if they are both still on expiring deals by the trade deadline, teams will be calling, offering a motherload for a top-line starting pitcher.</p><p>Merrill is under contract through at least 2034 and has a team option for 2035, when he will be 32 years old. The Padres have Tatis locked in through 2034, Machado and Xander Bogaerts are both signed through 2033, and Jake Cronenworth will be there until 2030. With all of these position players sticking around for so long, AJ Preller has to commit to a pitcher soon.</p><p>The newly signed Merrill leads the undefeated Padres against the Guardians on Wednesday afternoon.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Padres’ Jackson Merrill breaks silence after nine-year contract extension

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/mlb/san-diego-padres/padres-news-san-diego-reaches-extremely-exclusive-territory-guardians');   ga('set', 'title', 'Padres reach extremely exclusive territory after blanking Guardians');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/Padres-Mike-Shildt-makes-Michael-King-Opening-Day-announcement.jpg"></figure><h1>Padres reach extremely exclusive territory after blanking Guardians</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-04-02T08:40:57-07:00">April 2nd, 8:40am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-04-02T08:40:57-07:00">April 2nd, 8:40am</time><address><a>Matt Wadleigh</a>Matt Wadleigh is the lead NCAA Football and NCAA Basketball editor for ClutchPoints, and he also specializes in MLB and NFL coverage. He was born and raised in Oceanside and resides in Fresno with his wife and two dogs. Matthew is a huge Southern California sports fan and a retired member of the Fresno State drumline.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">MLB</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The Los Angeles Dodgers are fresh off a World Series win and entered the 2025 MLB season as the favorites to win once again. However, the Dodgers’ National League West rival, the San Diego Padres, are off to a massive start. The <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb/how-jackson-merrill-made-history-for-padres-not-seen-in-15-years-vs-braves">Padres swept the Atlanta Braves</a> in four games and then won the first two against the Cleveland Guardians to start 6-0.</p><p>The Padres started April with a 7-0 win over the Guardians as Michael King tossed five shutout innings and gave up just two hits. This marks the Padres’ third shutout of the year in just six games.</p><p>As it turns out, this marks just the third time in history a team has <a href="https://x.com/SlangsOnSports/status/1907296538897838285" rel="noopener">thrown three shutouts</a> in the first six games, per Sarah Langs.</p><p>“3 team shutouts are tied for most through a team’s first 6 games Only of those teams to ALSO start 6-0: 2025 Padres 1980 Reds 1940 Dodgers”</p><p>The other times this happened were in 1980 with the Cincinnati Reds and 1940 with the Dodgers, so this is an incredibly rare feat that hasn’t happened for 45 years. Moreover, the Padres are the only team to begin 6-0 in a historic start for San Diego.</p><p>The first shutout of the year came on Saturday, March 29, when the Padres beat the Braves, 1-0. Randy Vasquez started that one and threw six innings with four hits and four walks as the bullpen did its job.</p><p>The second shutout was the following day as Nick Pivetta – who signed late with the Padres – threw seven innings and gave up just one hit in a huge outing. <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb/san-diego-padres/padres-news-nick-pivetta-lands-padres-55-million-contract">Pivetta signed with the Padres</a> on a four-year, $55 million deal late in the offseason but he dazzled in his debut.</p><p>So, while the Dodgers have started the year with a 7-0 record, the Padres are right behind them with a 6-0 mark and are making history in the process.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Padres reach extremely exclusive territory after blanking Guardians

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/mlb/san-diego-padres/padres-news-jackson-merrill-135-million-contract-extension');   ga('set', 'title', 'Padres’ Jackson Merrill lands $135 million contract extension');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/Jackson-Merrill-lands-135-million-contract-extension.jpg"></figure><h1>Padres’ Jackson Merrill lands $135 million contract extension</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-04-02T06:15:56-07:00">April 2nd, 6:15am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-04-02T06:38:00-07:00">April 2nd, 6:38am</time><address><a>Jason Patt</a>Jason Patt started as an editor at ClutchPoints in 2018 and became the head of the editorial team in 2022. He also co-hosts Cash Considerations: A Chicago Bulls Podcast for the Blue Wire Network.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">MLB</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>San Diego Padres star center fielder Jackson Merrill has cashed in with a <a href="https://x.com/ByRobertMurray/status/1907417780221321666" rel="noopener">nine-year, $135 million contract extension</a>, according to FanSided’s Robert Murray. The extension reportedly can “max out” at $2o4 million and “includes a $30 million club option for a tenth season that can convert to a player option.” The deal begins in 2026.</p><p>The 27th pick in 2021, the 21-year-old Merrill burst onto the scene as a rookie last season, hitting 24 home runs and knocking in 90 runs with a slash line of .292/.326/.500. He was named an All-Star, came second in NL Rookie of the Year voting behind Paul Skenes and finished ninth in NL MVP voting.</p><p>Merrill helped lead the Padres to the brink of the NLCS when they went up 2-1 on the Los Angeles Dodgers in the NLDS. The youngster had a monster Game 2 on the road at Dodger Stadium, racking up three hits and his first career playoff homer in a 10-2 win.</p><p>While San Diego won Game 3, Merrill went hitless in that game and the final two games of the series as Los Angeles came back. The Dodgers went on to win the World Series after the Padres’ heartbreaking series, <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb/san-diego-padres/padres-news-jackson-merrill-gladiator-comparison-dodgers-playoff">but it was a good lesson for the team</a>.</p><h2><b>Jackson Merrill’s start to 2025 Padres season</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/Jackson-Merrill-with-San-Diego-Padres-1.jpg"><figcaption>Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p><a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb/san-diego-padres/padres-news-what-jackson-merrill-must-do-true-superstar">Merrill is now trying to take that next step</a> as a superstar. So far, so good.</p><p>The center fielder is hitting .400 through six games with a home run and six RBI, and his OPS stands at an outstanding 1.035. Oh, and the Padres haven’t lost a game yet, running out to a 6-0 start with a plus-22 run differential. That’s one run better than the 7-0 Dodgers and tops in MLB overall.</p><p>Many expected Merrill to get this new contract after his outstanding rookie season, and now the deal is done. Now he can fully focus on blossoming into the superstar he seems destined to be as he tries to lead San Diego to a World Series. We can expect plenty more battles between Jackson Merrill and the Dodgers in the future.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Padres’ Jackson Merrill lands $135 million contract extension

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/mlb/san-diego-padres/padres-mike-shildt-shows-support-for-braves-jurickson-profar-after-ped-suspension');   ga('set', 'title', 'Padres’ Mike Shildt shows support for Braves’ Jurickson Profar after PED suspension');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/Padres-news-Mike-Shildt-shows-support-for-Braves-Jurickson-Profar-after-PED-suspension.jpg"></figure><h1>Padres’ Mike Shildt shows support for Braves’ Jurickson Profar after PED suspension</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-04-01T07:49:18-07:00">April 1st, 7:49am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-04-01T07:49:18-07:00">April 1st, 7:49am</time><address><a>Ryan Bologna</a>Ryan Bologna is an author at ClutchPoints. He studied journalism and communication at UConn.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Atlanta Braves</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Atlanta Braves outfielder <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb/atlanta-braves/braves-news-jurickson-profar-80-game-ban-ped-violation">Jurickson Profar was suspended for 80 games</a> due to performance-enhancing drug use on Monday, and his former manager, Mike Shildt of the San Diego Padres, <a href="https://x.com/annieheilbrunn/status/1906837472891584837" rel="noopener">threw his support behind</a> his former player when asked about the topic.</p><p>“I love Jurickson Profar no more or no less than I did an hour ago,” Mike Shildt said, via Annie Heibrunn of SDUT. He also said that he doesn’t know the circumstances but “will love and support Jurickson.”</p><p>Profar first joined the Padres in the middle of the 2023 season, playing just 14 games after coming over from the Colorado Rockies. He stayed with the Padres for the 2024 season, when he had the best year of his career, slashing .280/.380/.459 with 24 home runs, while also <a href="https://www.fangraphs.com/players/jurickson-profar/10815/stats?position=OF" rel="noopener">posting 4.3 WAR</a>, according to FanGraphs. That resulted in <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb/atlanta-braves/braves-news-atlanta-adds-2024-padres-all-star-free-agency">Profar signing a three-year, $42 million contract with the Braves</a> this offseason.</p><p>Now, the Braves will be missing arguably their biggest offseason addition for 80 games. Even though Profar is eligible to return later on this season, he is not eligible for the 2025 postseason, which is a big blow for the team.</p><p>It has not been an ideal start to the season for the Braves on the field as well. They lost all four games in San Diego against the Padres in the first series of the year, getting shutout in the final two games of that series. Then, they lost 6-1. in the first game of a three-game series against the Los Angeles Dodgers. It is not a death blow by any means, and there is plenty of time to turn things around, but it has not been an ideal start for the Braves by any means. They have two more games against the Dodgers before returning home to play the Miami Marlins in the first home series of the year on Friday.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Padres’ Mike Shildt shows support for Braves’ Jurickson Profar after PED suspension

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/mlb/san-diego-padres/padres-news-what-jackson-merrill-must-do-true-superstar');   ga('set', 'title', 'What Padres’ Jackson Merrill must do to become true superstar');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/What-Jackson-Merrill-must-do-to-become-true-superstar.jpg"></figure><h1>What Padres’ Jackson Merrill must do to become true superstar</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-03-30T14:07:22-07:00">March 30th, 2:07pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-03-30T14:07:22-07:00">March 30th, 2:07pm</time><address><a>Ryan Bologna</a>Ryan Bologna is an author at ClutchPoints. He studied journalism and communication at UConn.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">MLB</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Jackson Merrill made a huge impact with the San Diego Padres in 2024, and if not for Paul Skenes hitting the ground running, he likely would have been the Rookie of the Year winner in the National League. However, Merrill can improve, and Padres president of baseball operations, AJ Preller, outlined <a href="https://www.foxsports.com/stories/mlb/after-breakout-rookie-year-rising-star-jackson-merrill-hopes-world-series-title-next" rel="noopener">how that can happen</a> in 2025.</p><p>“He’s talked about it, he’s a guy that’s never satisfied,” AJ Preller said, via Rowan Kavner of FOX Sports. “I think him going and doing it again, obviously last year he was a prospect name that people knew, so he wasn’t somebody totally below the radar. But major league teams now, when they go prepare for the Padres — it changed as the year went on last year — he was a guy that was one of the top guys you had to be ready to compete against. That’s going to be everywhere he goes.”</p><p>Merrill is a focus in the Padres’ lineup <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb/san-diego-padres/padres-news-fernando-tatis-jr-eye-opening-admission-7-4-win-vs-braves">alongside Fernando Tatis Jr.</a> and Manny Machado, so pitching staffs will be prepared to attack his weaknesses. Preller knows that Merrill can improve defensively and steal more bases, but the most pressing area is chase and walk rate. Merrill <a href="https://baseballsavant.mlb.com/savant-player/jackson-merrill-701538?stats=statcast-r-hitting-mlb" rel="noopener">had a 34.4% chase rate</a> in 2024, which was in the 14th percentile in MLB, and his 4.9% walk rate was in the eighth percentile, according to Baseball Savant. Simply, to reach his potential, Merrill needs to improve his pitch selection.</p><p>“We’ve got to be careful with that,” Padres hitting coach Victor Rodriguez said, via Kavner. “But overall, I think it’s a kid that’s smart, and he understands the things that he needs to do to be productive, and he understands that controlling the strike zone, swinging at good pitches, is going to get him in a better place.”</p><p>Merrill still hits the ball very hard, and will in all likelihood be a <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb/san-diego-padres/how-jackson-merrill-made-history-for-padres-not-seen-in-15-years-vs-braves">very productive hitter in 2025</a>. However, improving plate discipline will make his performance more sustainable as he goes further in his career.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

What Padres’ Jackson Merrill must do to become true superstar

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/mlb/san-diego-padres/padres-news-san-diego-intriguing-trade');   ga('set', 'title', 'Padres could make intriguing trade');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/Padres-news-San-Diego-could-make-intriguing-trade.jpg"></figure><h1>Padres could make intriguing trade</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-03-28T13:58:14-07:00">March 28th, 1:58pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-03-28T14:16:19-07:00">March 28th, 2:16pm</time><address><a>Zachary Draves</a>Zachary Draves is a sportswriter and broadcaster based in the Quad Cities of Illinois and Iowa. Zachary covers a variety of different sports as well as sports history, sport and society, and sport and culture. He is also a professor of sociology.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">MLB</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Just before Opening Day, the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb/san-diego-padres/padres-3-most-surprising-opening-day-roster-decisions" rel="noopener">San Diego Padres made some interesting decisions</a> regarding their roster. They cut a few players and labeled Tyler Wade and Eguy Rosario as designated for assignment.</p><p>That means they each were immediately terminated from the 40-man roster. While Padres’ president of baseball operations A.J. Preller is hoping Wade stays after clearing necessary waivers, they have <a href="https://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/2025/03/27/padres-notes-looking-to-trade-eguy-rosario-keep-tyler-wade-in-minors-omar-cruzs-change-of-plans/" rel="noopener">seven days to negotiate trading</a> Rosario, per Jeff Sanders of the San Diego Tribune. </p><p>Preller will have this period to look for a trade partner willing to take up Rosario. He says Rosario has the budding talent any team yearns for.</p><p>“Eguy’s a big-league player,” Preller said. “He’s got real talent and ability … and he can do damage. He can do a lot of things to help a team win a game. … He’s going to get an opportunity to go elsewhere and play in the big leagues I would think immediately, and we’ll try to add some value through a trade here in the next week.”</p><p>If a trade doesn’t materialize, Rosario could be released or sent down to the minor leagues. </p><p>Rosario’s spot on the roster was put into jeopardy after the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb/san-diego-padres/padres-news-san-diego-adds-former-all-star-spring-training" rel="noopener">Padres signed veteran infielder Jose Iglesias</a> before spring training. Now the pressing questions begs as to what led to Rosario being on the verge of release. </p><h2><b>Why would the Padres trade Eguy Rosario?</b></h2><p>Rosario hasn’t shown much promise in recent years. He has only played a total of 100 games in the last three seasons for the Padres. Last season, Rosario batted .245, with three home runs and six RBIs.</p><p>However, he has struggled with high strikeout totals and low OBP. In addition, Rosario had difficulty standing out amongst a crowded Padres infield that included veteran talents such as Iglesias, Ha-Seong Kim, Luis Arraez, and Jake Cronenworth. </p><p>While in the minor leagues, Rosario has managed to put up some considerable numbers, batting as much as .502 with the Padres Triple A affiliate in El Paso. He has also demonstrated a unique ability to play more than one position in the infield. </p><p>It is likely Rosario just needs to land in a place where he has room to shine and get back to form. </p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Padres could make intriguing trade

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/mlb/san-diego-padres/how-jackson-merrill-made-history-for-padres-not-seen-in-15-years-vs-braves');   ga('set', 'title', 'How Jackson Merrill made history for Padres not seen in 15 years vs. Braves');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/How-Jackson-Merrill-made-history-not-seen-in-15-years-vs-Braves.jpg"></figure><h1>How Jackson Merrill made history for Padres not seen in 15 years vs. Braves</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-03-27T22:44:42-07:00">March 27th, 10:44pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-03-27T22:44:42-07:00">March 27th, 10:44pm</time><address><a>Brayden Haena</a>Brayden Haena is an Associate Editor at ClutchPoints. He's a die-hard San Francisco Giants fan and a football fanatic. In addition to sports writing, he works for Arizona Football in the Player Personnel and Recruiting department and formerly served as the Defensive Coordinator for Heritage High School.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">MLB</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Jackson Merrill entered <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb/padres-news-jackson-merrill-mlb-offseason">Opening Day with plenty of hype after a stellar rookie season</a>, but the 21-year-old made sure to back it up with more than just talk. In front of a record crowd at Petco Park, Merrill <a href="https://x.com/dennistlin/status/1905393322853835002?s=46" rel="noopener">delivered a historic performance</a>, driving in four runs and helping power the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb/padres-news-fernando-tatis-jr-eye-opening-admission-7-4-win-vs-braves">San Diego Padres to a 7-4 comeback win over the Atlanta Braves.</a></p><p>With his four-RBI effort, Merrill became the first player age 21 or younger to drive in four or more runs on Opening Day since Jason Heyward accomplished the feat in 2010. Not a bad start to what already promises to be a big sophomore campaign for the Padres’ budding star.</p><p>Merrill wasted no time making his mark. In the bottom of the first, with Fernando Tatis Jr. and Manny Machado on base, Merrill roped a two-run single into center field on a two-strike pitch from Braves ace Chris Sale. He later added an RBI groundout in the third and capped his day with a sacrifice fly in the decisive seventh inning.</p><h2><b>Jackson Merrill looks to dominate for the Padres in 2025<br></b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/Jackson-Merrill-.jpg"><figcaption>Denis Poroy-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>“It’s a good challenge to have some recognition going into the year,” Merrill said before the game. “But I want to prove that I’m better than I was last year.”</p><p>Last year, Merrill slashed .292/.326/.500 with 24 home runs, 90 RBIs, and 16 stolen bases as a 20-year-old rookie. Despite his breakout season, he finished second in NL Rookie of the Year voting behind Paul Skenes. The result left him with no bitterness, just motivation.</p><p>“It’s just like a little chip on the shoulder, you know?” Merrill told The Athletic. “I’m proud of the people who won it. I was proud of Paul. He had a great year. I’m not tripping about it.”</p><p>Now an All-Star and Silver Slugger, Merrill is already proving last year was no fluke. More impressively, he’s doing it with maturity beyond his years.</p><p>“I want to be here long term,” he said about his future in San Diego. “I know my value and my worth. I want to be here. But I’m not going to try and screw them and take all their money.”</p><p>While the Padres had to overcome a shaky start from Michael King, Merrill and company erased a 4-3 deficit with a four-run seventh inning. Manny Machado contributed two doubles and two stolen bases—another first in his career—and pinch-hitter Gavin Sheets tied the game with a solo shot.</p><p>Merrill, now the centerpiece of a new era in San Diego, is stepping into his role with confidence and humility. He’s not only the face of the Padres’ future—he’s making history while building it. At just 21 years old, Merrill reminded everyone on Thursday: he’s not just here to play—he’s here to lead.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

How Jackson Merrill made history for Padres not seen in 15 years vs. Braves

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/mlb/san-diego-padres/padres-news-fernando-tatis-jr-eye-opening-admission-7-4-win-vs-braves');   ga('set', 'title', 'Padres’ Fernando Tatis Jr. makes eye-opening admission after 7-4 win vs. Braves');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/Fernando-Tatis-Jr.-makes-eye-opening-admission-after-7-4-win-vs.-Braves.jpg"></figure><h1>Padres’ Fernando Tatis Jr. makes eye-opening admission after 7-4 win vs. Braves</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-03-27T19:29:00-07:00">March 27th, 7:29pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-03-27T19:29:26-07:00">March 27th, 7:29pm</time><address><a>Alex House</a>Alex House is a sports journalist who covers the NFL, NBA, and MLB for ClutchPoints. He grew up in a New York sports-heavy region in Connecticut and earned his journalism degree at the University of Rhode Island. His in-depth knowledge of two of the most passionate and raucous fan bases in the country gives him a truly unique writing voice.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">MLB</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The San Diego Padres faced <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb/san-diego-padres/fatal-flaw-san-diego-padres-must-address-for-2025-mlb-season">a challenging offseason</a> for a second year in a row, as trade rumors swirled and key players like Jurickson Profar and Ha-Seong Kim departed in free agency. But it is important to remember how much talent this roster still possesses. Star power beamed throughout Petco Park on Opening Day, as the Friars pulled out a hard-earned 7-4 win versus the Atlanta Braves.</p><p>Fernando Tatis Jr. will command much of the local headlines, following an outing in which he went 3-for-4 at the plate, stole two bases and scored two runs. Fans know what the two-time Silver Slugger and two-time All-Star can do to a baseball, but his speed is the most notable takeaway to come out of game No. 1.</p><p>He stole 25 and 29 bags in the 2021 and 2023 campaigns, respectively, but recorded just 11 in 102 games last year. He is feeling healthy and spry to begin 2025, however, which means MLB might witness the electric 26-year-old’s full powers. A stress reaction in his right thighbone cost Tatis more than two months of action and hampered him throughout the year.</p><p>He <a href="https://x.com/annieheilbrunn/status/1905417312888651971" rel="noopener">spoke on using his legs</a> more after spending a significant amount of time on the injured list in 2024. “I really missed it, you know,” Tatis said after the victory, per The San Diego Union-Tribune’s Annie Heilbrunn. “And really happy where I’m at, and happy I’m capable of doing it again. … I mean, last year I was standing on one leg.”</p><h2><b>Padres were at full force vs. Braves</b></h2><p>If the 2023 Platinum Gold Glove winner can stay aggressive on the basepaths, he will have a great chance to show why he was once tabbed as a future MVP. Of course, Fernando Tatis Jr. is hardly the only big-time performer in the Padres’ lineup. Manny Machado had a two-steal and multi-hit showing himself, while National League Rookie of the Year runner-up Jackson Merrill recorded four RBIs.</p><p>San Diego put together a successful outing against reigning Cy Young Chris Sale, erupted for a game-breaking, four-run seventh inning and hung on for an Opening Day triumph after the bullpen did not allow a single Braves’ hit in the final four innings of play. It was a long offseason, and a long regular season is to come, but spirits are high on 100 Park Boulevard on this day.</p><p>The vibes should remain good as long as Tatis and the Padres are <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb/san-diego-padres/padres-manny-machado-vocal-on-san-diegos-bold-double-steal">racing around the bases</a> and amassing wins.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Padres’ Fernando Tatis Jr. makes eye-opening admission after 7-4 win vs. Braves

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/mlb/san-diego-padres/padres-manny-machado-vocal-on-san-diegos-bold-double-steal');   ga('set', 'title', 'Padres’ Manny Machado vocal on San Diego’s bold double steal');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/unnamed-1_7c3142.jpg"></figure><h1>Padres’ Manny Machado vocal on San Diego’s bold double steal</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-03-27T18:14:10-07:00">March 27th, 6:14pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-03-27T18:14:10-07:00">March 27th, 6:14pm</time><address><a>Daniel Locke</a>Daniel Locke covers the New Orleans Pelicans and is an Associate Editor for ClutchPoints. He will graduate from Auburn University with a degree in Journalism in May. Daniel has covered Auburn Athletics for the entirety of his time as a student, focusing on football, men's basketball, and baseball.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">MLB</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The San Diego Padres earned a <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/editorials/braves-vs-padres-prediction-odds-pick-3-27-2025">7-4 win over</a> the Atlanta Braves on Opening Day, starting the 2025 campaign on a solid note. There was one part of the game that impressed star third baseman Manny Machado.</p><p>A double steal helped pave the way for the Padres. Machado <a href="https://x.com/973TheFanSD/status/1905406501445140556?t=AC-x6ReX4e0Db7qLu88BGA&amp;s=19" rel="noopener">gave his thoughts on the play</a>.</p><p>“Just taking advantage,” Machado said. “We know that we’re an aggressive team, we know that we can pick our spots and choose. With a lefty on, the third baseman is playing off the bag, it’s a tough throw for the catcher. It’s a tough catch as well for the third baseman on the run.</p><p>“We came out with a victory in front of our home crowd. It was electric out there like never before. To come away with a victory in front of them, it’s always awesome to start off the year.”</p><p>Machado went 2-of-3 with three runs and one RBI. The <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb/padres-news-manny-machado-brash-warning-dodgers-last-season-heartbreak">star third baseman is looking</a> to have his best season yet in 2025 and he got the year started on the right foot.</p><h2><b>Padres’ Kyle Hart ready for return</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/unnamed-2_c2d124.jpg"><figcaption>Allan Henry-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>San Diego Padres pitcher Kyle Hart is <a href="https://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/2025/03/26/padres-notes-its-everything-for-kyle-hart-to-return-to-majors-michael-king-excited-for-opening-day-start/" rel="noopener">excited to be back in</a> the MLB.</p><p>“I’m going to just try to be in the here and now,” Hart said via the San Diego Union-Tribune. “Not to be cliché, but I’m just super excited to watch Michael King pitch and watch our guys go to work. Obviously, I’m going to take that all in. I’m going to try to take every second of that in, and then when I get out there, I’m going to be hyper-focused on doing my job to help us win a ballgame.”</p><p>Hart has had some difficult times since his last stint in the MLB, and he is looking to take nothing for granted as a result.</p><p>“There were some emotions for sure from my end,” Hart said. “I’ve been in some dark places in this game. Been in some really good places too, but, seems like lately it’s been a little more down than up at times. I’m excluding last year, obviously. But this is a privilege. I think last year, the biggest thing I learned was never taking anything in this game for granted. Certainly making my first opening day,  I’m going to treat it like it’s going to be everything.”</p><p>It is not clear what game Hart will be on the mound for just yet, but he is expected to toe the rubber in the coming days.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Padres’ Manny Machado vocal on San Diego’s bold double steal

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/mlb/san-diego-padres/padres-3-most-surprising-opening-day-roster-decisions');   ga('set', 'title', 'Padres’ 3 most surprising Opening Day roster decisions');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/Padres-X-most-surprising-Opening-Day-roster-decisions.jpg"></figure><h1>Padres’ 3 most surprising Opening Day roster decisions</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-03-27T08:58:39-07:00">March 27th, 8:58am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-03-27T09:11:05-07:00">March 27th, 9:11am</time><address><a>Matt Wadleigh</a>Matt Wadleigh is the lead NCAA Football and NCAA Basketball editor for ClutchPoints, and he also specializes in MLB and NFL coverage. He was born and raised in Oceanside and resides in Fresno with his wife and two dogs. Matthew is a huge Southern California sports fan and a retired member of the Fresno State drumline.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Editorials</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The Opening Day of the 2025 MLB season is finally here. As the season begins, the National League West will once again be one of the top divisions with the San Diego Padres, Arizona Diamondbacks and reigning World Series champion Los Angeles Dodgers in the fold. The <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb/braves-news-atlanta-adds-2024-padres-all-star-free-agency">Padres lost some players in free agency</a>, including Ha-Seong Kim and Jurickson Profar, but the roster is still stacked with talent.</p><p>There are many questions about the team, and pitcher <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb/mlb-rumors-jon-heyman-conflicting-dylan-cease-trade-intel">Dylan Cease’s name was in plenty of trade rumors</a>, although he starts the season with the Padres. As Spring Training came to an end, the Padres had to trim down the roster for Opening Day.</p><p>And, as always, there were some surprising choices with the final roster decisions.</p><h2>Padres kept Luis Campusano off the roster</h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/Dodgers-Padres-Ohtani.jpg"><figcaption>David Frerker-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>This falls as perhaps the most surprising decision by the Padres. In 2024, Kyle Higashioka was the primary starting catcher for San Diego, but Campusano saw a lot of playing time. The 26-year-old appeared in 91 games for the Padres, hitting eight home runs with 40 RBI and steadily improving throughout the year.</p><p>With Higahsioka signing a deal with the Texas Rangers — and the Padres having limited options at the position — it figured Campusano would be on the roster. Instead, the Padres decided to keep veterans Elias Diaz and Martin Maldonado as the two catchers while Campusano goes back to the minor leagues.</p><p>Padres manager Mike Shildt explained the difficult decision and credited Maldonado’s experience as the <a href="https://padres.mlblogs.com/shildt-says-adding-of-lockridge-to-opening-day-roster-moving-tyler-wade-eguy-rosario-oscar-6a3d9102b189" rel="noopener">main reason</a> for the decision, per FriarWire.</p><p>“What went into it. You have one guy in Maldonado with 13 years of experience and who is really adept at running a pitching staff and getting the most out of a staff with pitch calling and game management,” Shildt said. “And then you have Campy, who has done a really good job in all these areas. He’s checked a lot of boxes to be a Major League catcher for a really good club. It just got down to picking one and it was a really tough decision.”</p><p>So, once again, Capusano will be in the minors as he awaits his turn to get back to the big leagues.</p><h2><b>Tyler Wade misses the cut </b></h2><p>In 2024, Tuler Wade was a pivotal role player for the Padres. After spending most of his career with the New York Yankees, Wade joined San Diego and helped in a number of ways. He appeared in 90 games with 138 at-bats, and while his offensive stats didn’t jump off the page, he could play a number of different positions on the diamond.</p><p>He is primarily a third baseman, and with Manny Machado holding down the hot corner, Wade doesn’t get too many starts. Still, he was a key bench piece, and Shildt <a href="https://padres.mlblogs.com/shildt-says-adding-of-lockridge-to-opening-day-roster-moving-tyler-wade-eguy-rosario-oscar-6a3d9102b189" rel="noopener">addressed the decision</a> to send him down to Triple-A for now, per FriarWire.</p><p>“That one was really hard,” said Shildt. “Not seeing him in the clubhouse this morning hurt because he’s got such good energy and a way about him. Obviously, he’s a versatile player who has fit into our culture extremely well. It was a tough conversation for Tyler and a tough conversation for me and a tough decision for the organization.”</p><h2><b>Logan Gillaspie just misses final bullpen spot</b></h2><p>The Padres bullpen has a lot of big pieces, with Robert Suarez and Jeremiah Estrada as the two main ones. However, the final bullpen spot almost went to 27-year-old Logan Gillaspie. He spent the 2022 and 2023 seasons with the Baltimore Orioles, making just 28 appearances.</p><p>In 2023, the Padres claimed Gillaspie <a href="https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2023/11/padres-claim-logan-gillaspie-waivers-red-sox.html" rel="noopener">off waivers</a> after he was released by the Boston Red Sox, and he made nine appearances in 2024 for San Diego. Still, his numbers are underwhelming. In his career, he has a 1-1 record with a 5.02 combined ERA in 113 innings.</p><p>In 2024, he pitched nine games for the Padres with a 7.15 ERA in 11.1 innings. Still, Shildt decided to give the right-hander the final bullpen spot, and he revealed why he did so, per FriarWire.</p><p>“He continued to do this spring what Logan does and that’s showing up against righties and lefties with multiple pitches. He’s going to compete,” Shildt said. “If we’re going to have a longer-type person, then we need someone who can go in and keep the game where it is at with a group that is gritty and has the ability to come back. And also have someone who can fill those innings without needing to use anyone else. And Logan has shown he can do that.”</p><p>Instead, it looks like Omar Cruz earned the <a href="https://x.com/Padres/status/1905288758565724663" rel="noopener">last spot</a> despite Shildt saying he felt good about Gillaspie.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Padres’ 3 most surprising Opening Day roster decisions

2025 SEASON STATS
BA	HR	RBI	OPS	SB
.356	0	2	0.872	7

2025 SEASON STATS
BA	HR	RBI	OPS	SB
.356	0	2	0.872	7

Brandon
Lockridge

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Brandon Lockridge

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Brandon
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