About this episode

The episode features a discussion on the Padres' recent performance and an interview with former All-Star closer Heath Bell.

Are the Padres the best worst team in MLB or the worst best team? Shout-out to the Athletic's Dennis Lin. Darren Smith and Marty Caswell jump into the numbers from the Padres 3-6 homestand, the familiar defense of the Padres hitting coach and if this last stretch will be remembered as a. missed opportunity. The duo then welcomes in former Padres All-Star closer Heath Bell, who shares what stood out from the recent homestand and why the manager usually takes the fall when the team underperforms. What's been the biggest difference in this year's Padres offense and does the team need to bunt more? Yes, the trade deadline is nearly two months away but Marty argues that Luis Arraez could somehow be the missing link. Heath questions the Padres hitting philosophy and makes the case for Preller overpaying for a great hitting coach. Does the statistics correctly indicate what the Padres really are? Daren points out what the data reveals about the Tampa Rays and how that applies to the Padres underwhelming statistics.  The show then opens up it's twitter mailbag to answer the biggest questions from Padres fans, including whether the new ownership group could be inclined to blow it all…

People in this episode

Hosts: Darren Smith, Marty Caswell

Guest: Heath Bell

Topics covered

• Padres performance
• Heath Bell interview
• hitting philosophy
• trade deadline
• fan questions

Keywords

• Padres
• Heath Bell
• hitting coach
• trade deadline
• Juan Soto
• Luis Arraez
• fan mailbag

Sponsors

Mack Weldon

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: The Athletic

More episodes of Friar Territory: a San Diego Padres podcast

• Machado blame game · June 12, 2026 · 34 min
• Fernando Tatis walk-off HR, biggest win of the Padres season? · June 11, 2026 · 38 min
• Padres fresh vibes, Freddy Fermin is on fire, Preller on the prowl · June 9, 2026 · 31 min
• Padres critical homestand, how much worse can it get? Fans sound off · June 5, 2026 · 31 min
• Reeling Padres swept again, did Preller make a mistake on Castellanos? · June 4, 2026 · 34 min
• Padres five alarm fire, Jase Bowen debuts, Kyle Glaser joins · June 2, 2026 · 36 min

Explore listener stats, chart rankings, contacts and more on the Friar Territory: a San Diego Padres podcast podcast page.