Why the San Diego Padres Will Win the 2021 World Series

Don’t look now, but the Padres are coming fast and furious. After finishing 2020 with the second-best record in the National League, the Friars head into 2021 as a sincere threat to win the Fall Classic.

In fact, San Diego is on par with the Yankees and trails only the Dodgers when it comes to 2021 World Series odds.

It’s one thing to be among the notable contenders in the preseason, it’s another to go out and execute when it’s all on the line in October.

With that in mind, here are five reasons why the Padres are a good bet to be the last team standing.

Serious strides were made in 2020 on the heels of ending a 13-year playoff drought. San Diego even beat St. Louis in the Wild Card round – advancing in the postseason for the first time since 1998.

Any concerns that the 37-23 regular-season record was somewhat of a fluke, the following stats paint a clear picture. San Diego was stellar across the board.

Losing Mike Clevinger for 2021 was a big blow to this organization, but boy did A.J. Preller respond.

One day after acquiring former AL Cy Young winner Blake Snell, the Padres swung a deal to land another true ace in Yu Darvish.

The Padres acquired Blake Snell and Yu Darvish while keeping six of their top seven prospects entering the day, all of whom will likely be on the 2021 @BaseballAmerica Top 100.

— Kyle Glaser (@KyleAGlaser) December 29, 2020

Snell, 28, is stoked for a fresh start in “America’s Finest City” after a sour ending in Tampa Bay. As far as how much Darvish is looking forward to the sunshine in San Diego, here’s a precursor of what’s to come.

The last time Yu Darvish pitched at Petco Park he struck out 14. ? pic.twitter.com/qc7rVuZXyu

— MLB Vault (@MLBVault) December 30, 2020

Keep in mind, Dinelson Lamet and Chris Paddack already represented a legitimate “1-2 punch.” Throw in the potential of MacKenzie Gore (#1 pitching prospect in entire the MLB), and we’re looking at the most complete rotation in baseball.

Manny Machado bounced back in a big way after a disappointing first season with the Padres. The Pads hot corner batted .304 and finished inside the top 3 in the NL in homers and RBI. It all added up to finishing third in the National League MVP voting, one slot ahead of his teammate, Fernando Tatis Jr.

The budding shortstop watched his BA dip over the final month of the season, although a .318 clip in six postseason games should put the Friars fanbase at ease.

Barring something out of the ordinary, look for Machado and Tatis Jr. to both be in the NL MVP conversation once again in 2021.

All the attention surrounding the additions of Snell and Darvish have the signing of Ha-seong Kim lost in the shuffle.

Another splash from the Padres.

San Diego reportedly in agreement with South Korean INF Ha-Seong Kim, per @dennistlin. pic.twitter.com/mozBfX2laW

— MLB (@MLB) December 28, 2020

The 25-year-old righty can play all over the infield and is a reliable defender. The emergence of Jake Cronenworth at the keystone leaves the infield setup a bit murky, but Tingler will surely find ways to get Ha-seong consistent at-bats.

After all, Kim completely balled out in 2020 for Kiwoom in the KBO.

He hits for power, he’s got speed on the basepaths, and more walks than strikeouts hint at his advanced discipline at the plate. My guess is he’ll be just fine transitioning to Major League Baseball.

He had a higher WAR than Ronald Acuna Jr. and Juan Soto. He was one of six players to have double-digit home runs and stolen bases.

The other five?

Yet, for whatever reason, people continue to sleep on Trent Grisham. Just 24 years old and slated to play center field and hit leadoff, the lefty from Fort Worth is on his way to another fruitful campaign.

He’ll be a big reason why the San Diego Padres will win the 2021 World Series.

Picking the Padres to win it all isn’t as bold as you think. It’s certainly not far-fetched when you study the World Series odds at the top betting sites.

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