Fansided

3 reasons why the Padres should pass on Manny Machado

By Tre LyDay

ATLANTA, GA - OCTOBER 08: Manny Machado #8 of the Los Angeles Dodgers celebrates as he rounds the bases after hitting a three run homerun during the seventh inning of Game Four of the National League Division Series against the Atlanta Braves at Turner Field on October 8, 2018 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Rob Carr/Getty Images)
ATLANTA, GA - OCTOBER 08: Manny Machado #8 of the Los Angeles Dodgers celebrates as he rounds the bases after hitting a three run homerun during the seventh inning of Game Four of the National League Division Series against the Atlanta Braves at Turner Field on October 8, 2018 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Rob Carr/Getty Images) /
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WASHINGTON, D.C. – JULY 15: Fernando Tatis Jr. #23 of the World Team looks on during the SiriusXM All-Star Futures Game at Nationals Park on Sunday, July 15, 2018 in Washington, D.C. (Photo by Rob Tringali/MLB Photos via Getty Images)
WASHINGTON, D.C. – JULY 15: Fernando Tatis Jr. #23 of the World Team looks on during the SiriusXM All-Star Futures Game at Nationals Park on Sunday, July 15, 2018 in Washington, D.C. (Photo by Rob Tringali/MLB Photos via Getty Images) /

1. The young guys

As mentioned A.J. Preller has done an excellent job rebuilding the team’s farm system. So much so that they are the top-ranked farm system according to MLB Pipeline heading into the 2019 season.

Guys like Luis Urias and Francisco Mejia have already made their big league debuts and are ready to start learning how things work at the major league level. That’s not including Fernando Tatis Jr who spent 2018 in Double-A, and has spent winter ball tearing the absolute cover off of the ball.

That’s a three-man core that’s going to last you for the next 10 years, but realistically Urias and Mejia won’t be consistent contributors to the lineup for another couple of years. Tatis Jr looks the part and could be making a big league debut at some point in 2019, but they’ll all need time to learn how to play at the major league level.

The Padres also have a 19-year-old third base prospect stashed away named Esteury Ruiz caught everyone’s eye in Dominican Summer League, and again when he won MVP at Single-A Arizona League in 2018.

Those four guys will command the infield along with Hosmer at first base for the foreseeable future, and that doesn’t leave a spot for Machado. As great as he is -and he’s one of the best- it doesn’t seem like the Padres would take away playing time from their future core even for him.

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