The San Diego Padres were America’s team prior to the 2023 season. Every pundit, expert, and fan picked the Padres to win the NL West. They were also one of the favorites to get to the National League Championship series, and eventually win the World Series.
Despite the immense talent on their side, the Padres fell flat on their face. Team finances became an issue, and they will enter the 2024 season without multiple members of their 2023 roster, including star Juan Soto.
It’s fair to say the Padres are a far cry from what they were just 365 days ago. Because of that, fans are more pessimistic than optimistic as we enter February.
The Atheltic’s Dennis Lin conducted a survey on Padres fans’ confidence levels regarding whether they’re heading in the right direction. According to the survey, only 4.9% are ‘very confident,’ 25.3% are ‘somewhat confident,’ 38.5% are ‘unsure,’ 22.3% are ‘not very confident,’ and 9% are ‘not confident at all.’
Here are some fans breaking down their reasoning for not feeling so great.