EDITOR’S NOTE: I have been running these by division, in alphabetical order by city. But since the Cubs are playing the Padres tonight, I switched this one with the Dodgers preview. The L.A. “Know your enemy” article will run tomorrow.
In the winter of 2018-19, the Padres signed top free agent Manny Machado, beating out several other suitors for his services. Most of the other teams were contenders; the Padres weren’t. Would Machado alone be enough to send San Diego to contention in 2019?
He wasn’t. The 2018 Padres lost 96 games.