San Diego Padres: Will They Win a World Series Before the Dodgers?
By Ben Fadden
Manny Machado was filmed during Thursday’s game telling a Dodger fan that the Padres will win a World Series before the Dodgers will but is that realistic?
San Diego Padres star Manny Machado is going to make $300 million over the next 10 seasons, and he is willing to give all of his contract (jokingly) to a Dodgers fan if Los Angeles can win a World Series before his club.
“I’ll bet you my contract, we’ll win a World Series before you guys do,” Machado said.
Believe it or not, I don’t think Machado is wrong.
Presently constructed yes, the Dodgers are a much better team than the San Diego Padres. They have a star rotation with Clayton Kershaw, Walker Buehler, and Hyun-Jin Ryu who is starting the All-Star Game.
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They have a high-powered offense. Cody Bellinger. Justin Turner. Max Muncy.
Blah, blah, blah.
We know that, but Manny Machado will have nine more seasons (opportunities) after 2019 to bring San Diego their first World Series, and he will be surrounded by young superstars each and every year.
On the other hand, the Dodgers will have great players for a good period of time, but they do have some older players that won’t be there when San Diego is contending for a World Series.
Clayton Kershaw only has two seasons left after this year, and he is declining each season.
Justin Turner is a free agent after next season. Los Angeles doesn’t have a starting catcher who they can say will be their catcher in the future.
If Clayton Kershaw retires after his three-year contract is up, that leaves a big hole in the rotation especially when he has been their ace for 7 seasons.
The Padres do have a catcher in Francisco Mejia who they are confident in for years to come, especially because he will develop defensively in addition to already having power at the plate.
San Diego will have a better rotation than their rival much faster than people believe.
Chris Paddack has shown the ability to be at the top of the rotation in 2020 and beyond when the window of contention really opens.
MacKenzie Gore has a 1.02 ERA in the minors and will be pitching in the Futures Game for the National League. The Padres drafted him in 2017 with the notion he will be starting games at the top of the rotation along with Paddack and guys that they will draft in future years like Ryan Weathers (drafted in 2018).
The bullpen is thin, but will also be better than the Dodgers because San Diego’s farm system is stacked with talented starters, but there are limited spots in the rotation, so those starters like Michael Baez and Adrian Morejon will be moved to the bullpen, and will instantly make it better as a whole.
I wouldn’t be surprised if Andres Munoz will be called up sometime in a month, as he has improved his command with his fastball. He has an “80” fastball that hits 100 mph, so he will be at the back end of the bullpen for the Padres in the near future.
Next. Phillies pitching now actively angering their fans and media. dark
I would say the Padres will win a championship before the Los Angeles Dodgers because their future is brighter.