Padres' $350 Million Superstar Credits Manager Mike Shildt for Major Turnaround

Apr 19, 2022; San Diego, California, USA; San Diego Padres third baseman Manny Machado (right) is congratulated by third base coach Mike Shildt (8) after hitting a two-run home run against the Cincinnati Reds during the first inning at Petco Park. Mandatory Credit: Orlando Ramirez-Imagn Images | Orlando Ramirez-Imagn Images

The San Diego Padres are officially underway in what is already an exciting 2025 season, as they took down the Atlanta Braves in a back-and-forth 7-4 win on Thursday.

With the sting of last season's early exit in October, superstar Manny Machado provided some clarity on something that has mostly gone overlooked that season: San Diego missed the postseason the year prior.

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The Padres pulled off a blockbuster trade to bring in Juan Soto in 2022 and immediately felt his impact.

The new-look Padres were three games away from the National League pennant.

That next season ended up being mediocre, at best. An 82-80 record for a team full of All-Stars and Cy Young award winners was expected to do so much more than what the roster ultimately put out onto the field.

As quick as the baseball world is to dismiss 2024 as a wasted season, two runs away from dethroning the hated Los Angeles Dodgers, Machado highlighted some of the positive moments via Kevin Acee of the San Diego Union-Tribune and credited most of it to manager Mike Shildt.

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“You know, obviously, ’23 was the down year we had,” Machado said. “We had some guys not perform; we had, you know, stuff that was just going on. And what I feel (was) different with Shildty, it was just, ‘We’re not going to repeat what we did last year. Let’s get better than last year. What can we do better? What were we good at? We’re going to be good at that, but let’s get better at it. Let’s get better at other things that we weren’t so good at.’ … So Shildty has been the man.”

Although he is currently recovering from a Tommy John surgery, Joe Musgrove also spoke on the impact of his manager.

“Shildty is deserving of a lot of credit for laying this plan out for us,” Musgrove said, “And then, like, holding us accountable to it and continuing to check in and putting a lot of — not pressure on us, but putting a lot of trust in us to see this thing through.”

The skipper has been a constant in what turned into a tumultuous season, but as he looks to build upon the trust of his first season at the helm, it is encouraging to know that it's returned by the stars rallying around him.

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