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The San Diego Padres have been a mediocre franchise in Major League Baseball for 52 years.

Since their debut in 1969, the Padres have just five playoff appearances. They’ve reached two World Series’ in their history, but they went a combined 1-8 in those tries. San Diego made a splash by signing Manny Machado to a long-term deal last offseason, and they’ve lucked into a gold mine with young phenom Fernando Tatis Jr.

With the pieces in place, the Padres decided to go all-in at the trade deadline to gear up for a World Series run in 2020.

The Padres have never won a World Series

The Padres are about as mediocre as you can find in terms of MLB franchises. San Diego has an all-time record of 3768-4404, good for a .461 winning percentage.

In 52 years of existence, the Padres only have 15 winning seasons. They haven’t had one since 2010, and they haven’t even made the playoffs since 2006.

In five playoff appearances, San Diego has two pennants and no World Series titles. In 1984, the Padres lost 4-1 to the Detroit Tigers, and they were swept by the New York Yankees in 1998.

The Padres have had a surprisingly strong start to the 2020 season, and they believe this could be the year to finally snap their World Series slump.

The Padres went all-in at the trade deadline to gear up for a World Series run

After years of disappointment and low finishes in the standings, the Padres finally have a roster to be excited about. San Diego has gone 21-15 through the first 36 games of the season, and they decided to get aggressive at the trade deadline.

The Padres were the most active team at the Aug. 31 deadline. In the biggest move of the day, San Diego acquired Mike Clevinger in a blockbuster deal with the Cleveland Indians. The Padres will also receive outfielder Greg Allen in the trade.

Better yet, the Padres only gave up one top prospect in the deal.

Before adding Clevinger, the Padres also acquired first baseman Mitch Moreland from the Red Sox, catcher Austin Nola from the Mariners, catcher Jason Castro from the Angels, and closer Trevor Rosenthal from the Royals.

That’s five total trades for San Diego at the deadline and an entirely retooled roster for the stretch run of the season.

Could this be the year the Padres get their first World Series title?

It’s not often Padres’ fans see their team being aggressive with trades. Normally, San Diego is selling their top players for prospects or draft picks. But this team is different.

Machado, Tatis Jr., and Eric Hosmer make up an elite top three at the plate. With Clevinger taking over as the ace starter and the other acquisitions adding some much-needed depth, the Padres are as dangerous as anyone in the National League.

The Padres currently have the 11th-best odds to win the 2020 World Series at 22/1, according to Bovada. In a season with so much uncertainty and craziness, it would only be right for a team to snap a 52-year drought to win their first World Series.

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Jack Dougherty

Writing professionally since 2015, Jack Dougherty spent six years as a sportswriter with publications such as GoPSUSports.com, the Centre Daily Times, and the Associated Press before joining Sportscasting in 2020. He covers the NBA, the NFL, and the world of golf extensively and has added expertise on any team located in or around his hometown of Philadelphia. Yes, that includes the Philadelphia Eagles, the Philadelphia 76ers, and Philadelphia Phillies.

When Jack isn’t writing about sports, he’s watching them or playing them as he regularly heads to the gym for some pickup basketball or the golf course to hit the links. He’s also an avid participant in the sports betting scene who worked at a casino sportsbook for a year and learned the ins and outs of the industry before bringing his expertise to Sportscasting with one excellent gambling recommendation after another.