The San Diego Padres are 48-48 after taking two of three against the Toronto Blue Jays. Manny Machado played a big piece to Sunday's win, going 3-for-4, recording one run scored and one RBI.
Now sitting at .500 going into the All-Star break, the Padres are in third place in the National League West, behind the Arizona Diamondbacks (49-47) and Los Angeles Dodgers (61-36). The team is also 3.5 games back from a wild card spot.
It's been a very up-and-down season in San Diego, and with less than a month until the trade deadline, there are questions about what general manager A.J. Preller is planning.
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However, not everyone is showing much interest in what the Padres are going to do, including Machado. After beating the Blue Jays on Sunday, the third basemantold reporters what he and the rest of the roster are focused on.
“Our mindset, we’re not worried about the trade deadline or what could happen or what can’t happen,” Machado said. “You know, we got to get off to a hot start for us, you know, because at the end of the day our goal is to bring a championship to the city of San Diego. And you know, for us to do that, we got to get off to a hot start. Doesn't matter what the trade deadline brings or comes with.”
The Padres certainly aren't out of the postseason conversation, but they are fighting an uphill battle. According to FanGraphs, the team has just an 11.7% chance of earning a spot in the playoffs.
Returning from the All-Star break on Friday, San Diego has 16 games before the deadline passes on Aug. 3 at 6 p.m. ET. Whether or not they are buyers or sellers may be heavily influenced by that stretch of games.
If San Diego struggles, then several valuable players could be moved. That includes closing pitcher Mason Miller. One NL executive toldMLB.com's Mark Feinsand that the Padres must consider a trade if they continue to struggle.
However, with some time off, the Padres' roster has some time to regroup and come back ready to turn things around. Machado's comments reflect a clubhouse determined to control what happens before the deadline.
