The San Diego Padres were baseball’s best chance of stopping the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2024. San Diego fought hard in the National League Divisional Series, but ultimately lost to its opponents.
The Dodgers have done nothing but improve this winter. They’ve signed Blake Snell and Roki Sasaki to the starting rotation, while Shohei Ohtani is back from Tommy John surgery. Kirby Yates and Tanner Scott join a bullpen that was dominant down the stretch as well.
While Los Angeles has accomplished this, San Diego has regressed. The Padres have lost a few players in free agency, including Scott to the Dodgers, and their teammates, led by star baseman Manny Machado, appear to be disgruntled.
Manny Machado’s unhappiness may signal the beginning of the end of his time with the Padres.
“Are we disappointed that we haven’t made any progress? Yes,” Machado said (h/t Marty Caswell). “I think as a team, you look up there, and you’re a little disappointed that we let some of the guys that were a core group here go elsewhere.”
The Padres have ample reason not to re-sign their main players. It’s not because they don’t respect guys like Ha-Seong Kim and Scott. San Diego can’t afford to make any further trades since it’s invested so heavily in players like Manny Machado and Fernando Tatis Jr.
This is precisely why the Padres are apparently shopping both Michael King and Dylan Cease. Machado’s unhappiness might lead him to join King and Cease on the trade block.
Whether it’s to save money or Machado wants to join a team with greater resources to win baseball games, it appears that this combination is headed in the wrong way. San Diego isn’t afraid to sell away its stars.
This is not to mean Machado will force his way out of San Diego, nor does it imply that the Padres would be displeased with him and trade him elsewhere. However, it is something to keep an eye on as the Padres try to clear their books.
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