A thank you note to Joe Musgrove

Dear Joe Musgrove (and A.J. Preller and Don Orsillo),

This is coming from a die hard Padres fan. I want to thank you, A.J., for trading for Joe Musgrove in January. This trade has become your second best trade you’ve ever made as the general manager of this franchise.

Had you not made this move, Padres fans like me wouldn’t have been able to jump for joy on April 9, 2021 when this happened:

Thank you to Don Orsillo for making us all feel like we were at Globe Life Field that night. “Sending the Friar Faithful into a frenzy!” is a sentence I’ll always think of when I relive that moment.

And Joe, thank you for welcoming all that came with being the ‘hometown kid’. I couldn’t have been happier for someone to throw an organization’s first no-hitter. Your performance on that Friday night in Arlington was my favorite Padres moment of my life. I wasn’t alive for either World Series appearance so your no-hitter is the closest I’ve felt to the Padres winning a pennant.

When Ha-seong Kim fielded and threw the ball over to Jurickson Profar for the final out, my mother couldn’t help but let out a scream and run around the house like the Padres had just won it all.

One day, I hope we can feel that same type of joy again because the Padres have actually won it all. I look forward to watching you make the city of San Diego proud for years to come!

Sincerely,

Ben Fadden