Padres Editorial: Amid character assassination attempts, Manny Machado is the perfect man for Padres

Manny Machado has been everything the Padres paid for and more. Now, as the fire intensifies, he's the perfect man for the job.

Photo byUSA Today Sports

When the Padres first signed Manny Machado to what was at the time the largest free agent contract in North American sports history, they envisioned moments like this one.

This moment being — the Padres being painted as something of a "villain" (at least by the opposing manager and a reporter willing to play along) while trying to win their first title in franchise history.

Most of the baseball world is laughing at the Dodgers.

Even still, it's extremely unfortunate that the opposing team and Fox Sports reporter Ken Rosenthal would stoop so low as to further push an unfair agenda on the Padres' leader. Rosenthal even went as far as calling his actions "punkish" and saying "that was Manny being Manny. Again."

Not to mention, Rosenthal also called Fernando Tatis Jr. a "dancing peacock." He called Jurickson Profar, "the kid who pulls the fire alarm at school and then asks 'who, me?'"

With all of this swirling, Game 2 of the NLDS was a clear illustration of why Machado is perfect for the Padres.

First, the third baseman was playing in his 45th career postseason game. The man has been there, done that. No moment is too big for him. Second, he is one of the Padres' veteran players now. Only he, Fernando Tatis Jr., and Adrian Morejon are still on the roster from the 2019 team. His veteran leadership showed up big time when things got tense on Sunday night.

With harsh words and even actual objects being hurled at Padres players in the outfield and bullpen, Machado called a team meeting. He wanted to make sure the team was locked in and didn't let outside noise and emotions get the best of them.

This player, who has been dragged through the mud over and over by national media, kept his team together. And, that isn't the first time, either. Baseball fans are starting to realize who Machado truly is.

Remember when Tatis and Machado got into a heated exchange in 2021? That was also Manny being a leader. Tatis was still very young, very naive, and perhaps a bit ignorant. His disaster 2022 season showed that.

To Tatis' credit, he has returned a new man and looks like an absolute postseason monster. The two are friends. Tatis looks up to Machado. This 2024 squad is as tightly knit as ever. The leader of that team is Manny Machado.

The team leader is the 2024 Padres' nominee for the Roberto Clemente Award. The award "annually recognizes the MLB player who best represents the game through extraordinary character, community involvement, philanthropy and positive contributions, both on and off the field."

That kind of sounds like the opposite of a "villain."

How many off-the-field incidents have occurred with Machado over his career? Zero. Not a peep.

The Padres are not just trying to beat the Dodgers. They are trying to win the World Series. The Dodgers just happen to be in the way. The Padres have bigger goals than just "Beat LA." They have to beat LA in order to win the World Series at this point. If people want to paint Machado and the entire Padres team as the villain, that might even further galvanize this close team. This very well could backfire on Roberts and the Dodgers.

The Padres' franchise home run king has been there and done that too, and he's still on a Hall of Fame trajectory. If anyone can handle this noise and shoulder it for the team, it's San Diego's prized third baseman.

Game 3 is Tuesday night at Petco Park. It should make for fantastic, must-see theater.