The San Diego Padres have a good baseball team, but they also happen to play in the same division as the Los Angeles Dodgers and their juggernaut squad. While the Dodgers signed superstars Kyle Tucker and Edwin Diaz in MLB free agency, the Padres’ offseason was much more quiet. They were able to re-sign Michael King and have added veterans such as Nick Castellanos and Walker Buehler, but LA clearly features the better overall squad. Nevertheless, third basemanManny Machado believes that Fernando Tatis Jr. and he can lead the Padres to a successful campaign.
“It’s fun,” Machado said in response to how he feels when they are both playing well. “… Just having us stacked up in our lineup, I think it’s impressive. I think we both feed off of each other.”
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Machado and Tatis are two of the best players in MLB. It goes without saying, but the duo will need help from the rest of the roster in order to upset the Dodgers.
Padres’ Depth is Key to Upsetting Dodgers
Los Angeles Dodgers designated hitter Shohei Ohtani and San Diego Padres third baseman Manny Machado in 2024Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images
(Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images)
Not only do the Dodgers feature superstars such as Shohei Ohtani, Mookie Betts and Freddie Freeman, but their roster is also extremely deep. Machado feels as if the Padres’ roster has improved from a depth standpoint as well.
“We definitely have more depth (compared to Padres’ roster last season),” Machado said. “We got stuck there at the end with some injuries. Injury bug goes around with every team, but it kind of hurt us there at the end. So, we got some good depth this year… Adding those pieces to our ball club makes us a lot better.”
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The Padres may not have had a splashy offseason, but improving their roster while not losing too many key pieces will prove to be crucial. Mason Miller was discussed in some trade rumors. Even Fernando Tatis Jr. was mentioned as a possible trade candidate. In the end, San Diego held onto the stars.
Regardless of how their roster looks on paper, the Dodgers remain a serious problem. Of course, the 2024 and 2025 MLB champions are a concern for every team in the league. Winning the division helps with postseason placement, however, and upsetting LA in the NL West is going to require both a herculean effort and some good luck.
While the odds may not be in the Padres’ favor, Manny Machado is never going to back down. He’s going to do everything he can to help his ball club shock the MLB world.
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Related: Padres’ Craig Stammen Announces Unfortunate News at Spring Training
This story was originally published by Athlon Sports on Feb 26, 2026, where it first appeared in the MLB section. Add Athlon Sports as a Preferred Source by clicking here.