Not far behind the Mets and Yankees regarding Major League Baseball’s biggest disappointments of 2023 are the San Diego Padres.
The Mets sit at $344 million, the Yankees at $279 million, and the Padres at just over $253 million as teams with the three highest payrolls in baseball.
San Diego enters play Friday sitting in fourth place of the National League West, a far cry from where the team was expected to be after a run to the NLCS last year.
The San Diego Tribune reported Friday that the Padres’ culture, and not just the performances on the field, are at the center of the team’s struggles, starting with the handsomely paid third baseman, Manny Machado.
Machado, who notably opted out of a 10-year, $300 million deal he signed with the Padres in 2019 to ink a new 11-year, $350 million contract this past winter, insists that his effort was there this season.
“I know that I’ve gone above and beyond for everyone,” Machado, who has 28 home runs, 84 RBIs and and is hitting .252 this season, said to the outlet. “I will always go above and beyond for everyone. I think everybody knows that. I go out there and I pour my heart and soul into a team. … Ultimately, I know what I bring to the team. I know what I’ve always brought to the team.”
Still, Machado, who finished second in National League MVP voting last season, might be at the forefront of the Padres not having a “winning culture.”
Per the report, the team has a “leadership void,” and Machado is the one who “controls the clubhouse and sets a tone and personality for the team.”
And, according to the Tribune, whatever the problems are, they cannot be fixed under how things are operating in 2023.
The team this season held about eight or nine team meetings, and Machado was a focal speaker at nearly all of them.
But, as the report notes, the star did not back up his words with his actions to get the team back on the right path.
But Machado said he is not at fault for any clubhouse issues.
“I think everybody is a leader,” Machado insisted. “I think we have 26 leaders. I don’t think necessarily one person has to take the lead role. I think baseball is a team sport. It takes everyone.”
The downfall follows a Padres season that saw them reach the playoffs for just the second time since 2006, which included a 2-1 series victory over the Mets in the NL wild card round and an NLDS win over the rival Dodgers before falling in the NLCS.
Machado did, however, take ownership for not playing as well as he could have this year after last year’s strong season.
“There’s always gonna be stuff. And, ultimately, it comes down to one thing: We didn’t perform. I didn’t perform what I’m capable of performing.”
The Padres are 69-78 heading into play Friday, 6 1/2 games out of the final NL wild card spot, a half-game ahead of the Mets.