The Padres, the surprising West Coast equivalent of the Mets, are reportedly optimistic about signing Manny Machado before the end of the season. Who could possibly doubt them now?
In addition to extending ace pitcher Yu Darvish to a $108 million, six-year contract, signing Michael Wacha to a unique contract, and inking San Diego native Cole Hamels to a minor league contract within the past week, the Padres have also been in contact with Machado’s representatives.
Machado has flourished in San Diego, where he has purchased a home, and there is a chance he will not activate the opt-out clause in his $300 million, 10-year contract.
One Angels source indicated that he would not be surprised if the Padres, whose payroll has reached an unfathomable $260 million, became the highest bidder for Shohei Ohtani. It’s not a surprise that the Padres will attempt to outbid the Dodgers and Mets, despite the fact that it would be a true surprise if they succeeded, given that the Dodgers and Mets have vastly larger markets and deeper pockets, respectively.
The Padres’ income growth is nearly unprecedented. They capped Fanfest requests at 155,000 and expect 40,000 fans to attend games for the now-favorite team in the NL West, even surpassing the Dodgers. Yet, adversaries continue to admire their efforts.
Mets manager Buck Showalter is optimistic that Kodai Senga will adapt to MLB’s larger ball and steeper slope (the main challenge to Senga, he said) after a “mediocre” throwing session in which several throws — the ghost ball and others — were off-target.
“That will occur at some point. It requires time,” Showalter told The Post. “I’ve consumed several Japanese pitchers. They all make the necessary adjustments.”
Perhaps Major League Baseball should make the change and use the smaller, tackier baseball used in Japan.
This time, Pete Alonso’s trip from his home in the Tampa region to spring training in Florida was uneventful. Someone blew a red light last spring and flipped Alonso’s truck three times, but thankfully he was unharmed. Alonso gives Ford his appreciation for the 250 model pickup. He stated, “This car saved my life, so I purchased another one.”
»Padres hope to re-sign Manny Machado before he exercises his opt-out clause«