Padres' Fernando Tatis Jr. Hopeful After Loss to Dodgers: 'Sky is the Limit'

Game 5 ended in defeat. The San Diego Padres had to watch their division rival Los Angeles Dodgers celebrate a series win on their home field moving on to face the New York Mets in the National League Championship Series.

Rookie outfielder Jackson Merrill was the last player off the railing.

“I just didn’t want to leave,” the Padres' rookie phenom would later say. “I wasn’t really sitting there grieving or sulking or anything. I was just sitting there wanting to stay on the field. It ended pretty fast.”

San Diego built a roster for October and it was over in the blink of an eye.

“There’s no way to explain the hard moments,” said Jurickson Profar. “Just sad for this team. We had everything to go all the way. But – baseball. They played better than us the last two games, and now we’re going home.”

The Padres’ long-term offensive core is still strong, featuring stars like Manny Machado, Fernando Tatis Jr., and Xander Bogaerts. Given his recent performance, it’s also reasonable to include Merrill in that group moving forward.

“We have a strong core here,” Tatis said. “Sky’s the limit and I have no doubt we’re going to be knocking on the door every single year. Can’t wait.”

The 2024 Padres didn’t start the season with high hopes of challenging the Dodgers in the NL West, let alone pushing them to the edge of elimination in the NLDS. However, throughout the season, the Padres consistently made their feelings about those outside expectations clear.

“There's a lot of emotion,” said Padres manager Mike Shildt. “Mixture, obviously. A ton of disappointment in the end result. But nothing but absolute respect and admiration for our entire club. It's a club that from day one poured everything they had into this – every single guy.”

This year's Padres team leaves the club better than they found it. Gone are the rumors of clubhouse turmoil and a disappointing record that caused them to miss the playoffs entirely last season.

“We worked as a group all year to [create] a family here,” said Machado. “I don’t think I’ve been part of a team that’s been as tight as this one. It’s a special group that we had.”

Said Merrill: “I think I found a deeper love for baseball. I really didn’t know the extent of how electric it can be and how much of a family you can build through an entire summer of it.”

The 2025 Padres are expected to maintain much of their core, but fans can still anticipate some notable changes in the roster as they aim to build on their recent performance.

“This is the closest group I’ve ever played with,” said Jake Cronenworth. “It’s the closest thing to a family outside of our own. I think that’s why it hurts so bad.”