Padres pitchers and catchers reported to Spring Training in Peoria, AZ, and immediately the Friar Faithful were excited.
New starter Blake Snell was talking about the bitter rivalry between the Dodgers and Padres (and himself after the World Series). Manager Jayce Tingler was talking about the expectations for San Diego's stellar rotation and how the bullpen pieces would fit together.
It's catnip for us Padres fans. But it was just an appetizer for the main course.
Fernando Tatis Jr. agreed to a 14-year, $340 million contract extension and the baseball world went bonkers. We did an emergency OnFriar Podcast with out first impressions of the deal. On Thursday we let the guys in the clubhouse talk about it.
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Tingler shares the impact that Tatis has on his teammates and newly-signed reliever Mark Melancon, who's only been in the same stadium as Tatis a few times, waxes poetic about how opposing players look at the El Nino.
We also get into the rivalry with the Dodgers and name the one under-the-radar player who might be the most important piece to a successful 2021 season.
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LISTEN: With NBC 7 San Diego's Darnay Tripp and Derek Togerson behind the mic, On Friar will cover all things San Diego Padres. Interviews, analysis, behind-the-scenes...the ups, downs, and everything in between. Tap here to find On Friar wherever you listen to podcasts.
