The emergence of the San Diego Padres.
On Tuesday, the long and monotonous wait for Manny Machado to sign with a team came to an end. The San Diego Padres were the winners of the Manny Machado sweepstakes, signing the all star to a 10 year, $300 Million contract. Machado’s lucrative contract was the biggest contract in not only the history of Major League Baseball but, in the history of all of professional sports. So with the Manny Machado free agent frenzy over with, a lot of people are asking themselves, “why did he [Machado] signed with the Padres”? Some Baseball fans were completely perplexed with Machado taking his talents to San Diego. If you think Manny Machado signing with the Padres was a terrible decision, am here to tell you why it was a brilliant move.
1: The Padres have the best farm system in baseball.
Heading into to 2019, the San Diego Padres have ten of the top 100 prospects in their farm system. THAT’S RIGHT…… 10 % of the top 100 prospects in Major League Baseball belong to the San Diego Padres. Some of these prospects in the Padres farm system include LHP MacKenzie Gore [ranked #15 overall], Second baseman Luis Urias [ranked # 23 overall], catcher Francisco Mejia [ranked #26 overall], and lastly, their best prospect shortstop Fernando Tatis jr [ranked #2 overall]. As a team, the Padres have four of the top 30 prospects in baseball. Their farm system has a boatload of talent that’s going to propel them to the next level and make them competitive for many years to come. Even thou the Phillies and the Yankees have talent on their major league rosters, their farm systems don’t have that much talent nor are they highly talked about in baseball like the Padres.
2: The Padres have players on their roster who have both postseason and world series experience.
When it comes to postseason experience, two guys come to mind when it comes to playing in both the postseason and the world series. These two guys are Will Myers and Eric Hosmer. During his tenure with the Kansas City Royals, Hosmer played in back-to-back world series in 2014 and 2015. He won the world series against the Mets in 2015. The Phillies have talented players who haven’t experienced the taste of postseason baseball. The Yankees have made it to the postseason in back-to-back seasons but, failed to reach the fall classic. Machado had recently played in a world series during his brief tenure with the Los Angeles Dodgers. His world series experience can possibly have an impact on the current members on the Padres roster.
3: The beauty of San Diego.
At times when it comes to free agency, the city itself can have the same influence as the teamM. Cities like New York, Philadelphia, and Chicago are gigantic markets that can capture the eye of any big-time free agent and can entice them to sign there. However, San Diego is one of the most beautiful and gorgeous cities in the country. The warm sunshine; the easy access to the beach; a short drive to Mexico; the historic navy base. San Diego even has the world’s most popular zoo. The City of San Diego has a lot of amenities that make it one of the most ideal places to live in.
Even if the Padres don’t have success in 2019, the plan and mindset is focused on 2021 and beyond. By the time the 2021 season starts, they’ll have their top prospects on the Major League Team and Manny Machado will only be entering the third year of his contract. The future is bright for the Padres and signing Manny Machado to a long term deal, is only the beginning for something extraordinary to come.
