Manny Machado Has Some Strong Words After San Diego Padres' Slow Start

San Diego Padres third baseman Manny Machado had some strong words when he was asked about his club's slow offensive start to the 2023 Major League Baseball season earlier this week. Entering Wednesday, the Padres rank 27th in Batting Average (.224), 21st in On Base Percentage (.309), 23rd in OPS (.693), 22nd in RBI (68), 20th in hits (138) and 23rd in runs scored (72).

San Diego Padres third baseman Manny Machado had some strong words when he was asked about his club's slow offensive start to the 2023 Major League Baseball season earlier this week.

"I'd much rather this happen now than down the road," Machado told Padres reporter AJ Cassavell. "It's just: Don't jump on the bandwagon later on when we start (expletive) raking and we're doing what we're supposed to be doing."

Entering Wednesday, the Padres rank 27th in Batting Average (.224), 21st in On Base Percentage (.309), 23rd in OPS (.693), 22nd in RBI (68), 20th in hits (138) and 23rd in runs scored (72).

The Padres were expecting more offensively, after the club signed Xander Bogaerts to an 11-year, $280 million contract and added Nelson Cruz and Matt Carpenter over the offseason. The Padres currently have the third-highest payroll in Major League Baseball, trailing just the New York Mets and New York Yankees. Ownership has invested a great deal of money into the club; I doubt it was expecting its team to open the season 8-11.

Still, Machado has a point. It's only April. Divisions can't be won in April, but they certainly can be lost in April. The Padres have no need to panic this early on. The club is just 3.5 games back of the Arizona Diamondbacks for the division lead in the National League West. The Diamondbacks have shown great promise early on with a roster-full of talented young players, but Arizona hasn't made the postseason since 2017. The Diamondbacks still have a lot to prove, and the Padres are coming off two playoff series victories and a trip to the National League Championship Series.

It should only be a matter of time until Machado, Juan Soto, Xander Bogaerts and Fernando Tatis Jr. heat up. Tatis will be eligible to return from his suspension starting Thursday, when the Padres travel to Arizona for a four-game series with the Diamondbacks at Chase Field.

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