The Padres gutted their farm system in order the acquired veteran players and a superstar so as to be able to compete with the Dodgers. Even though they gutted the farm, they still cannot hang with the Dodgers!
A team does not become great because of one player. Otherwise, the Angels with Mike Trout and Shohei Ohtani would be bound for the World Series… again. It takes a team to win. Andrew Friedman knows that… AJ Preller Might (I said “might”) eventually learn it, but I doubt it. AJ is the Master of the Dope-Fiend Move. When he first came to San Diego, be tried to build a powerhouse with veteran players like Matt Kemp.