Manny Machado should rethink his Dodgers-Padres prediction after Roki Sasaki's start

The Padres are annoying, but it's kind of hard to begrudge them any sore feelings about Roki Sasaki. San Diego making it close to the end with Sasaki was expected, but to not even make the final two, after the team rolled out the red carpet for him, and to lose him to their fiercest rivals? Yeah, being angry about that makes sense.

The Dodgers prevailed, again, and Manny Machado in particular has been pretty salty whenever it comes up. When asked about Sasaki, he said, "I think he had his mind set already on where he was going. That's just my opinion."

Obviously, there's no love lost between these two teams — certainly none between the Dodgers and Machado — and he hasn't been shy about making that clear at every turn.

When asked if the Padres would "run the NL West this year," Machado said, "Absolutely. [...] Coming into this season, we've got the same squad going out, we are missing some pieces that left but with the team we got in there we’re ready to compete."

Machado was never going to say anything other than "yes, my team can beat our biggest rivals," but it'll hurt even more when Sasaki is one of the biggest difference makers in the Dodgers' rotation and helps LA top the NL West (again).

Roki Sasaki's scoreless spring training immediately invalidates Manny Machado's prediction for Dodgers-Padres rivalry

Before the Dodgers left for Tokyo, Sasaki pitched seven scoreless innings in spring training over two appearances (one start) and only gave up three hits and three walks while striking out seven hitters. His fastball velocity topped out at 99.3 MPH, and the splitter he's already internationally known for was on full display. If Padres fans were rejoicing after top White Sox prospect Kyle Teel homered off him in live BP, they're really quiet now, especially after Sasaki was officially named the Dodgers' second Tokyo Series starter.

Machado also kind of downplayed the losses the Padres suffered to free agency this year. They lost Jurickson Profar, one of their best bats in 2024; Tanner Scott, who they gave up way too many prospects for; Martín Pérez, which totally hobbled their rotation; and smaller pieces like Ha-Seong Kim and Kyle Higashioka. And then they went out and got ... Connor Joe?

It'd be wrong to underestimate the Padres, but their roster is a far cry from the Dodgers', and no one would be surprised if/when the Dodgers beat San Diego handily for the top spot in the division.