The San Diego Padres finished the 2024 MLB season with a 93-69 record. San Diego made it to the postseason and defeated the Atlanta Braves in the Wild Card round but lost to the Los Angeles Dodgers in the National League Division Series.
Now, the Padres are looking for similar success in 2025. They lost outfielder Jurickson Profar in free agency to the Braves, and they also lost pitchers Tanner Scott and Blake Snell to the Dodgers. If the Padres want to stay in the playoff race, they will need other players to step up.
Trevor Plouffe Says Manny Machado Needs To Step Up for San Diego Padres
Talkin’ Jake and Trevor Plouffe discussed the Padres on the latest “Jomboy Media” podcast on the upcoming 2025 season. Talkin’ Jake believes the Arizona Diamondbacks will be better than San Diego, but Plouffe thinks a current star on the roster will need to take over if the Padres want to avoid missing the postseason.
Plouffe said, “Can I tell you what I think needs to happen? I think Manny Machado needs to like take the reins. Not that he hasn’t already, and maybe I’m way off base here, but this team, right now more than ever, needs to band together and go ‘Us vs. the World.’ DraftKings’ over/under win total is 85.5.”
Following Plouffe’s conclusion of the over/under being at 85.5 wins, both he and Jake made their predictions at the same time — and had differing opinions. Talkin’ Jake sees the Padres going over, while Plouffe comes in with an under prediction.
The Padres acted like they were big brother to the Dodgers and got smacked in the face
Presented by @DIRECTV pic.twitter.com/xQOXBLrlGV
— Talkin’ Baseball (@TalkinBaseball_) March 19, 2025
It remains to be seen if losing Profar, Snell and Scott will hurt San Diego this season.
In regards to Machado stepping up, last year, he played in 152 games for the Padres, batting .275 with 29 home runs and 105 RBIs. He also recorded 11 stolen bases and had an on-base percentage of .325.
Throughout his career, Machado has typically stayed healthy. Some would also argue that he is the most talented player on the Padres’ roster. After all, he has recorded 100 or more RBIs in three of the past four years, and if the Padres want to return to the playoffs, he’ll need to put up similar numbers again in 2025.
Machado will start at third base for San Diego, but he will need others to step up. Jackson Merrill, for instance, must build on his 2024 performance. But if he and Machado are not the Padres’ best players this season, they could find themselves on the outside looking in.