CHICAGO -- The Padres went for it in 2025. They went for it hard .

On one of the most frenzied days of transactions in MLB history, they swung five trades involving 22 players in the hours leading up to the July 31 Trade Deadline . They felt they’d built a team capable of playing deep into October.

Which only made Thursday sting even more. At the end of a tight, tense series at Wrigley Field, the Padres were eliminated with a gut-punch of a 3-1 loss . The Cubs are headed to the National League Division Series. The Padres are facing an offseason’s worth of questions.

“I have not been waiting for this moment,” said a sullen Luis Arraez. “I know it’s my last year here. I’ll be a free agent. But, hey, this team’s special.”

Arraez, of course, represents one of a handful of Padres sl

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