Battle of California: Padres or Dodgers

The Padres and Dodgers may be closer on the totem pole than most people may think. If we really think about it, the Padres Big 3, Frenando Tatis, Manny Machado, and Jackson Merrill in my opinion can compete with the big three in Shohei, Mookie Betts, and Freddie Freeman.   Yes, I know this sounds crazy but let's really look at career numbers for a second. ( See charts Below) Now obviously these numbers are mostly in favor of the dodger players because of years played, experience and simply because of how talented they are at this sport. But in my opinion there is undoubtedly a dispute on why this Padres big 3 can be more successful when it's all said and done. This Padres team was for sure overlooked in 2025 mainly because of the monster roster the Dodgers assembled. Lets not forget that the Padres have Xander Bogaerts, Luis Arráez, Jake Cronenworth, and veteran Jason Heyward. If  Cease, King, Yu Darvish, Hart, and Pivetta do their job on the bump, they can be a World Series Contender with the best lineup in Baseball, yes I said it - the best lineup in Baseball….. Did I mention they have a top 3 closer in the league in Robert Suarez? Watch out Dodgers, these Padres may give you some problems come playoff time!

Tatis   ( 26 years old )	.281 AVG	128 HR	.886 OPS	.534 SLG
Machado  (32 years old)	.279 AVG	342 HR	.826 OPS	.488 SLG
Merrill  ( 21 years old )	.296 AVG	24 HR	.828 OPS	.499 SLG

Shohei  ( 30 years old )	.282 AVG	227 HR	.946 OPS	.575 SLG
Betts  ( 32 years old )	.294 AVG	273 HR	.897 OPS	.524 SLG
Freeman  (35 years old )	.300 AVG	345 HR	.899 OPS	.512 SLG

Padres or Dodgers ?

• Padres
• Dodgers