The Moonshot: Manny Machado, Dodgers, heated rivalries and postseason free agents
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Who is most to blame for the ongoing drama between Manny Machado, the Padres and the Dodgers?
Terrence Jordan: This is what you get when you pit two teams that hate each other’s guts against each other in a loser-goes-home playoff series. There’s a surplus of swag in this series, which only adds to the tension. Machado and Fernando Tatis never met a home run that they couldn’t pimp to the max, and Machado’s willingness to scrap with anyone in Dodger blue that’s foolish enough to try him only escalates things further. I’m not giving out blame to either team though, because this is playoff baseball. The Padres are tired of being the little brother, and they’re not backing down. If anyone deserves blame, it’s the Dodgers fans who threw things on the field and caused a 15-minute delay the other night. They should be thrown in the La Brea Tar Pits and never allowed in Chavez Ravine again.
Chris Landers: I’m not going to pretend as though the Padres are totally blameless — San Diego has had L.A. in its sights for a long time, and loves to make some noise — but the majority of the escalation in this series has to get laid at the hands of the Dodgers, right? It was Jack Flaherty who seemed to initiate the shouting match with Manny Machado, it was Dave Roberts (and Max Muncy) who took the war of words to the media and, most importantly, it was Dodgers fans who started throwing things on the field in Game 2. The Padres are brash, no doubt, and this was always going to be a heated series. But Los Angeles has handled this like a team that isn’t used to little brother punching back.
Zach Pressnell: Would it be distasteful of me to say that neither party is truly “to blame” here? In terms of the Machado incident that involved his throw towards the Dodgers dugout, I think that it was blown out of proportion. Machado was coming off a strikeout in a big spot against Flaherty that involved some extracurriculars, which is completely okay. But Machado still had his adrenaline firing on all cylinders. In the heat of the moment, he tossed the ball into the Dodgers dugout, where the ball boy was there to collect it, harder than normal. I don’t think he meant anything dangerous with it. As for the feud between the Padres and Dodgers fans, its the fans that are mostly to blame. Throwing things on the field is never acceptable, especially targeting them towards players. As for the trash talk, taunting and things of that nature, bring it on. If you have a problem with it, win the game.
Zachary Rotman: This is almost 100 percent on the Dodgers and their fans. Manny Machado could’ve handled himself better, probably, but it’s not as if he chucked that baseball at the Dodgers dugout. Jack Flaherty seemed to start this whole incident, and the fans escalated it by throwing things onto the field, which is never acceptable.
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Tempers are getting heated all over the Divisional Series. Which of these matchups is set up to be an actual meaningful rivalry over the next five years?
Terrence Jordan: The Phillies and Mets already hate each other and always will. Same for the Dodgers and Padres. I’m really intrigued, though, by the Yankees and Royals, who haven’t had much beef since the George Brett pine tar game. Aaron Judge and Bobby Witt Jr. will likely finish 1-2 in the AL MVP vote, and the smart money says that this won’t be the last time that happens. With Witt leading the way, the Royals appear to be here to stay, and the clash between small-market Kansas City and the big, bad Yankees makes for compelling theater.
Chris Landers: The Phillies and Mets have always hated each other, and this is just another chapter in a long-standing feud that doesn’t figure to change much. Dodgers-Padres had a whole can of gasoline poured on it over the past few days, but that rivalry first started picking up steam when those teams met in the playoffs back in 2022. Yankees-Royals, however, came out of nowhere, a rivalry dormant for decades that’s been reignited in this postseason and will only get fiercer in the coming years. The narratives write themselves, the plucky small-market Royals against the big, bad Bombers, and each fan base seems to relish in it. Plus, Kansas City and Bobby Witt Jr. aren’t going anywhere, which means New York will be dealing with them in October for a while.
Zach Pressnell: I’m not going to beat around the bush here. It’s going to have to be the Padres and the Dodgers. These two teams absolutely hate each other. They’re loaded with talent and they’re going to be loaded with talent for years to come. Neither team is interested in rebuilding at any point in time. They will just spend the money to compete if they end up in that position. Watching Tatis and company pick fights with their bitter rivals is awesome. Up until this point, it’s been the Dodgers that run the NL West, but with the state of the Padres, they could compete for the division in 2025 and beyond.
Zachary Rotman: There really is no wrong answer, but I’m going to go with the Mets and Phillies. Sure, these teams have been division rivals forever, but they’re rarely good at the same time. This is the first time they’ve faced off against each other in the postseason, and there’s been no shortage of drama. The Phillies aren’t going anywhere, and with the amount of money that the Mets have to spend this offseason, there’s a good chance they’ll be back in October, too. This rivalry is always fun, but when both teams are good at the same time, it’s among the best in the sport with two extremely passionate and hungry fan bases.
If you could choose 1 free agent to add from any of the remaining playoff teams, to a team who missed the postseason — who would it be?
Terrence Jordan: The fact that the Seattle Mariners missed the playoffs with that pitching staff is just criminal. As such, I’m sending Juan Soto on a one-way flight toward the Space Needle. The M’s were a bottom-10 team in OPS this year, and Soto’s combination of power and plate discipline would allow them to finally knock the Astros off their AL West perch. Soto and Aaron Judge hitting back-to-back has been incredible, but I wouldn’t mind seeing him paired up with Julio Rodriguez, either.
Chris Landers: The world needs more Julio Rodriguez in the postseason, and lord knows Mariners fans deserve to finally see some offense to go with all that incredible starting pitching. So how’s this for a match: Send long-time Astros third baseman and AL West nemesis Alex Bregman to Seattle, where he can slide right into the starting third-base job and provide some desperately needed oomph that will hopefully help the Mariners get back to the postseason. And either way, the sight of Bregman back at Minute Maid Park in a visiting team’s uniform would be wild.
Zach Pressnell: The bias in me wants to send Juan Soto to the Cincinnati Reds. This might not be the most fun for the rest of the league, but I’d love to see Soto team up with his good friend Elly De La Cruz. But, I’ll go with Pete Alonso to the Seattle Mariners. I’m a huge fan of good pitching and I want to see the Mariners’ starting pitching in October. They need offense to get there. Alonso is going to be one of their biggest free-agent targets this offseason and I really hope they land him. He’s the slugger that they need.
Zachary Rotman: As much as I want to be different, I’m going to have to agree with Terrence here. Juan Soto in a Seattle Mariners uniform is exactly what that franchise needs. It’s absolutely not realistic and not going to happen, but can you imagine that bat on that team with that pitching staff? Pair that with a bounceback season from Julio Rodriguez, and you’ve got a legitimate World Series contender. If not Soto, just get a legitimate big bat, please.
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