NLCS: Manny Machado Has Been a $300 Million Bargain for San Diego Padres Fans
The San Diego Padres finished the 2018 season on a high note on the field. At 33-28, the Padres finished one game better than their record from last year, earning their first playoff berth since 2003. The Padres are also now the first team in the last century to make the playoffs after going 70-92. They defeated a team that lost five major stars and finished last in almost every major statistical category.
On the mound, they had the best pitcher in baseball, as well as one of the greatest hitters of all-time. That is, until the Arizona Diamondbacks came out in their traditional “dynasty” mode and upset the Padres 6-3 on Wednesday night.
Now, the Padres head back to the desert for one of the greatest games of the postseason, hosting the Los Angeles Dodgers. It’s going to be one hell of a game.
For the Padres, there was one player for whom they could not afford to lose. And even though it’s been a rough season, his performance was among the best of his career.
To describe his season, it’s like he had the best of both worlds in San Diego: he was the best player for his team while being a superstar on his own team.
This offseason, the Padres were reportedly targeting the top pitcher in baseball, the Yankees’ Masahiro Tanaka. To make it more complicated, he was still available. I didn’t think San Diego could afford to lose him. But it turns out, they made the right move.
He wasn’t the pitcher that everyone wanted, but he was the pitcher that every team wanted.
Now, the Padres are a team that has the financial flexibility to bring in high-level talent. Their payroll is somewhere between $100 million and $150 million, as per MLBTR data. They have the room to try to improve in two ways:
The first way is by adding another bat or two, either through free agency or the trade market. The Padres have had their fair share of expensive free agents in recent seasons, but nothing has been quite this impressive as the Manny Machado deal. If they do something like that, fans should
