The Padres had to have been having a very positive attitude about themselves a week and a half ago at this point. They were in a position to make the playoffs and had just pulled off a massive trade deadline, acquiring several big-name players, one of whom was the 23-year-old phenom, Juan Soto. On Friday, the team, however, was dealt a blow that was somewhat similar to a gut punch. Because he did not pass a PED test, fellow rising talent Fernando Tatis Jr. has been handed an eight-game suspension for breaching the league’s policy on performance-enhancing drugs (PEDs).

It is important to keep in mind that during the offseason, Tatis was involved in a motorcycle accident that resulted in a fractured wrist. Tatis responded with a question about the date of his accident when he was asked about the date of his accident.

Which motorbike crash are you referring to? At the same time as the offseason?

And now, to add insult to injury, Tatis is out of commission until May of next year. As a direct result of his bad decision-making, he will be unavailable for the entirety of the 2022 season. There is a term that I first heard many years ago from a coach, and it has been with me ever since. “Control what it is that you can control.” You have no control over the umpires, the weather, or the way the other side plays. You also have no control over how well your team performs. However, one aspect of your life that is beyond your control is the way you make decisions.

Tatis was involved in a motorbike accident during the previous off-season, but it appears that he has chosen to continue riding motorcycles. He didn’t inform anyone about the injury to his wrist until he reported to camp in March, even though it happened in February. Due to these poor choices, Tatis was not included in the Padres’ lineup until August. On top of that, we now found out that he will miss another 80 games because of continued problems with his judgment, so that brings the total number of games he will miss to 240.

When speaking to one of the team’s stars, the general manager of the Padres, A.J. Preller, used language that was significantly more severe than what we are accustomed to hearing from office executives.

Preller was quoted as saying, “I guess we’re hoping that from the offseason to now, there would be some maturity,” which was taken from The Athletic. “It is more of a pattern, and it is something that we need to investigate a little bit further, as the news from today has made it very clear. I do not doubt that he is quite disheartened, but at the end of the day, it’s one thing to say it and another thing entirely to show it. To begin, you need to demonstrate it by the behaviors that you take.”

According to the San Diego Union-Tribune, Preller was quoted as saying, “I think what we need to get to is a moment in time where we trust.” “I believe that’s been something that we haven’t been able to have over the past six or seven months.”

Harsh? Perhaps, but I’d say your assessment is very accurate. Mike Clevinger, the starting pitcher, shared similar sentiments regarding the issue:

Even though Tatis is only 23 years old, his father spent a total of 11 seasons playing in the big leagues. Being a responsible big-league player shouldn’t be a novel idea by any stretch of the imagination.

Tatis, who is widely considered to be one of the game’s most skilled players, is expected to maintain responsibility for his team. Keep in mind that they had a chance to make the playoffs the year before but failed to do so in the final stretch. They have performed admirably in his absence, and they were getting ready to bring in a huge star to enhance their chances of making a deep playoff run and possibly winning the Padres’ first World Series. Instead, they will have to make do without him for the time being.

Additionally, he is currently in the second year of a 14-year contract worth a total of $340 million, which necessitates that he be accountable to the administration and ownership of the team. Tatis has not yet delivered in this regard, which is something that Preller has alluded to.

Tatis will mature a great deal between now and when his PED ban has been served, and as a result, he’ll make better decisions moving forward in the future. This is the best possible outcome here, given that the PED punishment scared Tatis straight. Then again, the first motorbike accident should have been the wake-up call, shouldn’t it have been?