Padres Star Thinks San Diego Can Dethrone Dodgers in NL West This Year

Maren Angus-Coombs | Mar 4, 2025

Oct 11, 2024; Los Angeles, California, USA; San Diego Padres outfielder Fernando Tatis Jr. (23) and San Diego Padres third baseman Manny Machado (13) react in the dugout before game five against the Los Angeles Dodgers in the NLDS for the 2024 MLB Playoffs at Dodger Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images / Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

Manny Machado and the San Diego Padres are eager to get their revenge on the Los Angeles Dodgers.

The Dodgers are once again the heavy favorites to win the World Series, but if Machado's words resonate with his teammates, the competition for the NL West title will be fierce.

During an MLB Network visit to the Padres, analyst Yonder Alonso asked Machado if the Padres could claim the West.

"We're ready to compete... we're ready to handle some unfinished business."@Padres veteran Manny Machado is ready to turn the page on last season and make some noise in 2025.#MLBTonight | @YonderalonsoU pic.twitter.com/v99jb0owg8

— MLB Network (@MLBNetwork) March 3, 2025

“Absolutely,” Machado responded. “What we did last year as an organization and as a team, a lot of people didn’t expect that from us. We overcame a lot of things, a lot of adversity, and built something pretty special here. Coming into this season, we’ve got the same squad, though we’re missing some pieces that left. But with the team we’ve got, we’re ready to compete. We’re ready to handle some unfinished business.”

While winning the National League will be tough, the division might prove even more challenging, with several teams vying for postseason spots.

“Our division now is by far the best division in baseball,” Machado told 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.”

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The World Series champion Dodgers have strengthened their already loaded roster with pitching reinforcements, international talent, and added depth in the infield and outfield.

On the flip side, the Padres had a quieter offseason due to payroll constraints and a messy ownership lawsuit. While they missed out on Roki Sasaki, they were able to sign Nick Pivetta to bolster their starting rotation.

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“We’ve seen offseasons where we’ve been really aggressive and been able to line up on moves early in the offseason, and other years, like last year, where it was later in the process,” said Padres president of baseball operations A.J. Preller. “We’ve got a really good core and foundation we like a lot, and we’ve got some needs as well.”

With a possible postseason rematch between the Padres and Dodgers on the horizon, the stakes for 2025 couldn’t be higher.

For more Dodgers news, head over to Dodgers on SI.