Manny Machado's comments makes Padres fans wonder about Fernando Tatis Jr., Juan Soto

The San Diego Padres are on a roll right now. After taking down the Rockies on Sunday, the Padres find themselves 11-3 since the All-Star break and looking like an extremely dangerous team. The rotation has been great, the offense has been clutch, and their retooled bullpen looks as good as any in all of baseball.

All in all, the Padres' vibes are great right now and you can tell that the Padres believe they can win every single time they take the field. As a result, Manny Machado talking the Padres up when asked about the team's recent run normally wouldn't be noteworthy.

However, it is how Machado talked about the current incarnation of the Padres that is making some fans wonder if he was taking a veiled shot at some guys that are currently not on the field.

Manny Machado's comments about current Padres run may be taking a shot at someone fans don't expect

When asked about how the Padres are playing right now, Machado said that the team is going out there and competing every night. He also said that while San Diego has had some good teams in recent years, he said that "It’s just different this year. It’s different."

It would be easy to think that Machado was referencing some of the guys who aren't on the field for the Padres right now, with Juan Soto getting traded last offseason and Fernando Tatis Jr. being out with a stress reaction in his leg. Machado has certainly voiced his frustration with Tatis Jr. in the past, and Soto's absence is one of the biggest differences with this year's roster.

However, Machado has gotten along well with Tatis Jr. for a few years now and when Soto was moved, he had nothing but glowing things to say about him. What gives here?

What may be happening here is that Machado is referencing the change the Padres made at manager this season. Bob Melvin is generally a highly-regarded manager around the league, but his tenure with the Padres was pretty disappointing compared to expectations and perhaps the supposed lack of leadership in San Diego's clubhouse in 2023 may have gone further than just the players on the field.

The results on the field speak for themselves. The Padres are thriving under Mike Shildt and are playing with a ton of energy right now. As for Melvin's new team, the Giants, they are struggling to remain relevant in the NL wild card race after spending big last offseason. Maybe the problems last season can't solely be blamed on the players after all.

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