On Monday’s episode of “Nothing Personal with David Samson,” former MLB executive David Samson discussed the San Diego Padres‘ recent meltdown. The Padres are currently 76-73, in third place in the National League West and out of playoff position. Their two superstars — Manny Machado and Fernando Tatis Jr. — got in a heated dugout argument over the weekend as the team got swept by the Cardinals.
Samson begins saying he’s said before when you’re playing with someone for this long and there’s pressure and there’s money, you are living in a pot that had gas and is simmering all season long. The team is together so much and now they’re at a point that it only takes the smallest thing to make it boil over.
The Padres have been losing more than they’re winning since the All-Star break and they’ve also dealt with injury issues. The players are frustrated, the fans are frustrated the owner is frustrated. Essentially, everyone is frustrated.
When you’re running a team that’s underperforming you have a few options. Here’s what Samson said:
“My most popular choice would be to fire someone. Fire a manager, that would get it going. Fire a coach that would definitely get it going … trade a player. Do something. Change the status quo.”
He counters this thought explaining that in baseball one move doesn’t always make that big of a difference.
“Unfortunately in baseball changing the status quo by changing out one thing generally doesn’t work, because if you’re losing you’re losing as a team because there’s something wrong with the team,” he said. “They’re not pitching better, they’re not hitting better, they’re not winning games.”
Samson concluded by saying, as the president of the team he would try to do something to turn the gas down. The Padres, however, are running out of time in 2021.
