PADRES • WBC will interfere with training

catchers participating in the WBC will report to Peoria by Feb. 13 with those not participating in the tournament reporting by Feb. 15. Position players participating in the WBC are due in camp by Feb. 16 and those not in the WBC are due Feb. 20. The team’s first full-squad workout is scheduled for Feb. 21, and players will begin reporting to their respective WBC camps the first week of March.

“You have to understand that,” Padres manager Bob Melvin said. “I’m OK with that. That’s an important thing for everybody. There will be guys with us for different periods of time. Guys that are playing (in the WBC) will be ready to go (for the season). The only thing you worry about is with some of the pitchers getting enough work.”

Additional challenges for the Padres will include getting Kim adequate time at second base and getting an extensive look at Cruz. Some benefits will be extensive playing time in the spring for young pitchers and position players.

Fernando Tatis Jr., who missed all of 2022 due to injury and a PED suspension, is expected to be a full participant in spring training. He returned to San Diego this month and is working out at Petco Park following his September shoulder surgery and October wrist procedure. The tentative plan is to work him primarily in right field to get him comfortable there.

Tatis’ suspension extends through the first 20 games of the season, so the Padres will assess outfielders Jose Azocar, David Dahl and Adam Engel as they decide how to align the outfield while awaiting Tatis’ return.

The Padres will open spring with a more talented, more experienced and deeper roster than they had at the outset of camp in ’22. And while the lesson of 2021’s disappointment should still be vivid, the outlook for this roster can rightfully be considered bullish.

Whether their victory over the Dodgers in the NL Division Series was truly a mental hurdle cleared, what has happened in the ensuing months has made it conceivable for the first time in more than a decade that the Padres could win the National League West.

While the Padres added Bogaerts and figure to play the bulk of ’23 with Tatis, the Dodgers lost Trea Turner and Padres killer Justin Turner and have not added much.

There do remain a couple beasts in the East if this Padres campaign is going to reach the ultimate zenith — the franchise’s first World Series title.

If no other team besides the Mets made a move this offseason, it still would have been an eventful winter.

The Mets have increased their payroll to the unprecedented level of almost $300 million with moves that included adding starting pitchers Kodai Senga, Jose Quintana and Justin Verlander and retaining closer Edwin Diaz and outfielder Brandon Nimmo. The Phillies, who beat the Padres in the NLCS before losing to the Astros in six games in the World Series, appear to have improved, as well, having added Trea Turner and starting pitcher Taijuan Walker plus a few quality relievers.

The chase starts in late March. The preparation begins next month. The expectations have been building.

kevin.acee@sduniontribune.com