When Gavin Sheets deposited his second home run of the night in the right field seats at San Diego’s PetCo Park on Friday, it gave the Padres a 5–2 walkoff win against the Colorado Rockies—a successful ending to an evening when the team debuted its new City Connect uniforms. Before the game, as players prepared to take the field in the new uniforms for the first time, they shared their thoughts with members of the media, including SportsLogos.net.

While the Padres’ second generation of City Connect uniforms repurpose some of the colors and typography from the first City Connects the team wore from 2023 to 2025, there’s one significant new element in 2026—the inclusion of Catrina, a skeletal character who has become a symbol of the Mexican tradition of Día de los Muertos. The Catrina design element appears as a sleeve patch on the jersey and was highlighted prominently in the ballpark throughout Friday evening’s game.

Jeremiah Estrada

“I love that it’s part of … Mexican culture, I love what the meaning of it is,” said Padres reliever Jeremiah Estrada, who is Mexican-American. “To see that this organization and team is putting the thought and effort into the culture, that’s what means the most.”

“I really like the concept of what these uniforms are and the relationship that it has to San Diego and to Mexico as well,” said Cuban-born relief pitcher Adrian Morejon through a translator. “They’re connecting in a big way, so with the previous uniforms and with these uniforms, I really like them.”

“I didn’t see that coming,” said reliever Kyle Hart, who pitched a scoreless 7th inning in the new uniform on Friday. “I think it’s a nice touch that kind of kept people on their toes.”

Catrina’s significance to Mexican culture originated in the mid-19th-century, when Mexican political satirist José Guadalupe Posada created the figure to criticize the country’s wealthy elite. Two-time All Star Nick Castellanos, a newcomer to the Padres after four seasons with the Philadelphia Phillies, was a bit less introspective than some of his teammates about the inclusion of Catrina in the new City Connect identity.

“I think this chick’s kind of cool,” Castellanos said, gesturing to the sleeve patch. “The candles and everything. I think it’s kind of nice.”

Nick Castellanos

Several of the Padres players identified the color palette as an important design element of the new City Connect uniforms. In particular, reliever David Morgan, who is from southern California and was raised a Padres fan, tied the colors to his childhood.

“My dad grew up watching them in these colors, and those were the jerseys that we always saw in the house,” Morgan said. “All the old memorabilia and stuff that we had in the house was navy and orange.”

Fernando Tatis, Jr.

“The colors, they play right, especially the hat,” said Fernando Tatis, Jr., three-time All Star and the Padres’ longest-tenured player. “I feel like there’s some feeling, some old school baseball, some really great memories on it.”

“San Diego’s got a lot of history and I think they did a great job pulling that out,” said first-baseman Ty France, who debuted with the Padres in 2019, then spent time in Seattle, Cincinnati, Minnesota, and Toronto before returning to San Diego this season. “I know the ones last year and years prior were very vibrant, upbeat, and fun. These are a little more subtle but I still think they come across and send a good message.”

While some Major Leaguers have opinions on the overall aesthetics of the uniforms they wear and the significance of certain design elements, ultimately, most players keep their focus on more pragmatic matters.

“I think the number one thing with these jerseys is they’re really comfortable,” Kyle Hart said. “So that’s kind of what the underlying significance is for us, I think, being comfortable out there. So we’re really happy with that.”

Kyle Hart

Fernando Tatis, Jr., agreed that the uniforms are comfortable, but had one misgiving about the pullover jerseys: “I probably miss the buttons,” he said.

The players understand that the City Connect program and the phenomenon of marketing branded team gear are less about them and more about the fans. At a pregame party in Gallagher Square outside the ballpark, many fans were already wearing the new City Connects before the team had taken the field.

“It’s cool to see the fans interacting with it,” said pitcher Ron Marinaccio. “For me, walking to the field the other day, yesterday, I saw a line outside the team store, everybody getting their City Connect stuff, getting ready. It’s good to see the fans excited about it.”

As Marinaccio reflected, he added one more thought: “But they’re super comfortable.”

We’ll have more coverage of the City Connect program, including audio from the Padres clubhouse, on this Wednesday’s episode of the SportsLogos.net podcast.