Padres superstar out to get even with Dodgers after NLDS defeat
Padres: Manny Machado confident in chances vs. Dodgers
According to USA Today’s Bob Nightengale, Machado spoke for his ball club when stating their hunger to dethrone the Dodgers after losing to them in the 2024 NLDS (h/t Dodgers Nation’s Valentina Martinez):
“Our division now is by far the best division in baseball,” Machado said to Nightengale. “Hands down. We’ve got four teams who could make the playoffs. The Dodgers are [bleeping] good, man. But we’re excited to take them down. There’s nothing better than having a championship team in your division that you can knock off.”
Padres remain major threats to Dodgers next season
Despite losing All-Star Jurickson Profar and former Gold Glover Ha-Seong Kim in the offseason, the Padres are still one of the biggest threats to the Dodgers. San Diego had Los Angeles on the ropes with a 2-1 lead in the NLDS before squandering the five-game series. This time around, things could be different.
That was the second time that the Padres fell to the Dodgers in the playoffs since 2020. Machado and the Friars have not been to the World Series yet, with the Dodgers standing as their biggest foe.
Though L.A. massively upgraded with several marquee free agents, including stealing star closer Tanner Scott from San Diego, the Padres still have muscle. Their rotation is headed by two frontliners in Dylan Cease and Michael King, followed by former All-Star Yu Darvish. Their lineup has efficient and power hitting around their 32-year-old franchise player, a la Fernando Tatis Jr.
Thus, 2025 will determine if San Diego can finally beat the reigning World Series champions. Machado and his teammates are intent on seeing that materialize.
