Musgrove: Padres confident after selfishness ruined 2023

After missing out on October baseball in 2023, a successful 2024 campaign has sent the San Diego Padres to the postseason. Joe Musgrove feels much more confident about this version of the team.

"There was a lot of selfishness and a lot of division amongst the group last year," Musgrove said, according to Bob Nightengale of USA Today Sports. "I don't think you can point a finger at one specific person, but we didn't really play to the demands of the game. There's plenty of times we had a simple job to do - maybe not simple because nothing is simple at this level - but a very clear job that big-league hitters should be able to do.

"We just didn't have the approach. Nobody was happy doing the little things, so we weren't even looking to do that."

The Padres made the postseason after shedding around $90 million in payroll, which included trading superstar outfielder Juan Soto to the New York Yankees in an offseason blockbuster. They also let manager Bob Melvin depart for the San Francisco Giants and replaced him with Mike Shildt.

Musgrove said the change in approach led to a more confident group under Shildt, whom he admitted runs a "tight" ship but keeps it loose and fun.

"We're learning from experiences, sharing experiences with each other," Musgrove said. "It's just a really fun group, man. A lot of the fun is because of the confidence we have.

"There's not really any holes in our game. We feel like we have all the tools to beat anybody."

The Padres begin their postseason Tuesday when they'll play the NL's No. 5 seed, which will be determined Monday following a doubleheader between the Atlanta Braves and New York Mets.