Manny Machado Still Expects Padres to Make Moves Via Trade or Free Agency

Oct 6, 2024; Los Angeles, California, USA; San Diego Padres third baseman Manny Machado (13) attempts to throw to first against Los Angeles Dodgers outfielder Tommy Edman (25) in the eighth inning during game two of the NLDS for the 2024 MLB Playoffs at Dodger Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images | Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

The San Diego Padres have a lot to prove in 2025.

A dominant 2024 that saw 93-wins in the regular season ended two runs away from knocking out the eventual World Series champions in the NLDS.

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A quiet start to the offseason concerned Padres fans as core pieces from last season went on to new teams and more free agents linked to San Diego would land elsewhere, but then February came.

First baseman Connor Joe, right fielder Jason Heyward, southpaw Kyle Hart coming off of a Cy Young-equivalent season in Korea Baseball Organization, and right hander Nick Pivetta were all acquired before Valentine's Day.

With chatter all offseason long about the attempt to shed payroll while still looking to acquire talent, trade rumors swirled around San Diego seemingly since the end of the NLDS.

Especially after an extremely active February, it isn't just baseball pundits who believe more moves are to be made, it's one of the team's biggest stars in Manny Machado.

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Machado told USA Today's baseball insider Bob Nightengale that the president of baseball operations and general manager A.J. Preller is still looking to put an even better product on the field in 2025.

“A.J. is ready man,’’ Machado said. “A.J. will do whatever to help us win now. He’s always done it ever since I got here. You know he’s going to make some moves.

“We’re in a good spot, man, and we’re going to go for this thing. You’ll see.’’

The roster as is looks like an improvement from the 93-win squad, but the pitching rotation now seems like it has over-the-top talent with the additions of (possibly) Hart and Pivetta. All Friar Faithful can do at this point is wonder what these potential deals will look like and prepare for 2025.

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