Manny Machado Confident Padres Can Win NL West in 2025

Maren Angus-Coombs | Mar 6, 2025

Feb 25, 2025; Peoria, Arizona, USA; San Diego Padres third base Manny Machado (13) gets ready for a game against the Los Angeles Angels at Peoria Sports Complex. Mandatory Credit: Rick Scuteri-Imagn Images / Rick Scuteri-Imagn Images

Manny Machado and the San Diego Padres can't wait to get their revenge on the Los Angeles Dodgers.

The National League West rivals are the heavy favorites to win the World Series again, but if Machado's words are heard by his teammates, the competition for the division will be fierce.

When MLB Network visited the Padres, analyst Yonder Alonso asked the third baseman if the Padres could run the West.

"Absolutely," Machado answered. "What we did last year as an organization and as a team, you know, 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 going out, we are missing some pieces that left but with the team we got in there we're ready to compete. We're ready to handle some unfinished business that we have."

The National League will be tough to win but the division might be tougher. There are several teams vying for a postseason berth.

“Our division now is by far the best division in baseball,” Machado said to USA Today's Bob 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 bolstered their already strong roster with pitching reinforcements, international talent, and added depth in the infield and outfield.

On the other hand, the Padres had a quieter offseason due to payroll constraints and a messy ownership lawsuit. While they missed out on Roki Sasaki, they did manage to sign Nick Pivetta to strengthen 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,” Padres president of baseball operations A.J. Preller said. “… We’ve got a really good core and good foundation we like a lot, and we’ve got some needs as well.”

Maybe there will be a rematch between the Padres and Dodgers in the postseason once again in 2025.

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