Manny Machado makes fiery World Series prediction after Padres' intense recent series

For a while now, it has become very apparent that the 2024 San Diego Padres are just built a little bit different. Perhaps this is due to San Diego hiring Mike Shildt as their manager before the season, but this Padres squad plays with a real edge that has served them well late in games and close contests.

Their 10-2 record in extra innings exemplifies how this team comes up clutch in the biggest spots time and time again.

One of the tougher series in 2024 where this was most apparent was against the Astros last week, which San Diego won convincingly. After the series, Padres team leader Manny Machado not only echoed the prevailing sentiment that the series felt like the postseason, but he went a step further and predicted that the Padres and Astros will meet in the World Series later this year.

Manny Machado's World Series prediction of Astros-Padres feels like a very realistic possibility

Predicting what happens in the MLB postseason is often a fool's errand. All that needs to happen to completely bust a bracket is for a couple teams to have a pair of bad innings or for somebody to go on a heater. Just look at what has happened with teams like the Rangers, Phillies and Braves over the last few years alone. Weird stuff just happens in the playoffs and is likely to happen again in 2024.

However, Machado does seem to have a point here and his prediction could end up being spot on. If San Diego can survive a three-game series in the first round (assuming they don't win the NL West outright) which can often be a coin flip, the Padres have as good or better an all-around roster as anyone predicted to be in the playoffs this year. The Phillies have been uneven lately, the Padres have owned the Dodgers in 2024, and the Brewers, along with the other NL wild card contenders, are a tier below them on paper.

As for the Astros, they are playing well right now and have as much postseason experience as anyone, although Yordan Alvarez's recent injury clouds the picture a good bit. The Yankees figured out how to close out a regular season for a change, but their fortunes likely live and die by Aaron Judge's bat and if their rollercoaster rotation shows up. The Orioles' offense has looked young and inexperienced in the second half. The Guardians have never won anything and their run this year feels pretty fluky.

The Padres will have to execute in the coming weeks for any of this to matter. However, if San Diego keeps playing like they have in the regular season, a trip to the World Series is very much a possibility. If they get there, don't be surprised if they are going to be greeted by a familiar end boss in the Astros.

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