As the 2020 season quickly approaches for the Padres, it's time to look at the teams current strengths and weaknesses.

The Padres roster since the end of the 2019 season has much improved, and the potential this season is higher than it has been in the past few years.

One of the spots that the Padres shine in is their bullpen. In the off-season, the Padres added a total of seven pitchers, all bolstering that department.

The pitching of San Diego last year left a lot to be desired, as they were ranked 28th in outs pitched per game. But the Pads ranked top 10 in the league in strikeouts per nine innings, along with a lot of playoff teams in that top 10.

The bullpen now ranks among the best in the league, depending on how the rotations are executed, but overall that is now a massive strength to the team.

Another one of the Padres massive strengths last year was their fielding. Now you may look at the stats last year and see that the Padres were very high in defensive errors last year but losing their starting shortstop and defensive star, Fernando Tatis Jr., to a hamstring injury among other players’ injuries last year.

The infield has consistent veterans, as well as young flashy stars that want to go out and compete. The potential is high for the current unit and the ceiling has no bounds.

However, the Padres still have many weaknesses that need to be solved before they can be considered serious playoff contenders.

The Padres acquired outfielder Tommy Pham in the off-season in a trade with the Tampa Bay Rays. They may have given up homerun-machine Hunter Renfroe, but Pham will add more consistency to the current lineup, as he would’ve come in second in the team's batting average (behind Fernando Tatis Jr.), as well as add on-base power to an already poppy lineup.

The lineup should become more consistent this upcoming season and hopefully this weakness can turn into a strength.

Another weakness is their current starting rotation. San Diego has stars, such as Chris Paddack, top prospect MacKenzie Gore, Joey Lucchesi at times and Dinelson Lamet. But the starting pitching is far too inconsistent. The Padres will need their up-and-coming prospects to succeed in order to be a very top contender, as well as improvement to their current big league starters.

The Padres last year was just a glimpse into a very bright future. The Padres may have had a dreadful 2019 campaign, but the team's potential to go out and be a playoff contender is tremendous. Fans should be excited about this upcoming season and be ready for a push to be a contender.