Manny Machado Had Quite the Mouthful Following LA's Sweep of Padres
The San Diego Padres handed Manny Machado an 11-year extension worth $350 million this past offseason with the expectation that he would lead this new-look Friars squad in the best ways possible.
Coming off of an elite 2022 season where the 30-year-old star carriedthe Padres on an unexpected playoff run and received MVP love, he had every argument to receive that deal. Machado had shut down previous critics who hated his work ethic, approach to the game, and lack of leadership. It seemed like with an upgraded 2023 roster and a young star returning that SD was poised for something special.
However, a 19-22 record is not fans were hoping for nor predicted to see about a month and a half into the new season. The blame should never be on one player but with Machado's stats down across the board and a slash line of .232/.280/.374, he's been a big part of it.
The breaking point for many has come now after the Dodgers just made easy work of the Padres this past weekend with a clean sweep.
Machado had a simple message for anybody talking down on the team right now and questioning their will to win.
“We want to win,” Manny Machado said. “Yeah, we’re pressing, for sure. We want to win a (expletive) game. That’s what it’s about. It’s about winning, and we’re not playing good baseball.”
(Via The San Diego-Union Tribune)
His message is something that has been relayed by many people within the franchise amidst these early struggles from the Friars.
However, these two straight series losses to the Dodgers definitely serve as red flags moving forward. 2022 postseason was when the Friars defied all odds and took down a better version of LA and now the roles have been reversed.
Machado continues to bank on the pedigree that he and all of his superstar teammates boast.
“You’ve got guys who have seven-plus years,” Machado said of the experience on the roster. “We’re all confident. Look at the numbers on our baseball cards at the end. Our baseball cards haven’t changed in 10 years. We got all-stars, we got future Hall of Famers in here. We know you just gotta trust the process. There are going to be good days, there are going to be bad days. There are going to be really good months and really bad months."
(Via The San Diego-Union Tribune)
Let's get the ball rolling during this new series against the Kansas City Royals.
