Padres Manager Mike Shildt Praises Dodgers for Being a ‘Well-Run Organization’
The Los Angeles Dodgers made a big splash last offseason, spending over $1 billion to sign players like Shohei Ohtani, Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Tyler Glasnow, and Teoscar Hernández, bolstering an already strong roster. After claiming the 2024 World Series title, they have remained aggressive in strengthening their team, recently securing Blake Snell with a five-year, $182 million deal.
This has posed a challenge for the National League West, particularly for the San Diego Padres, who have been striving to capture a World Series title in recent years.
In a recent appearance on the “Foul Territory” show, Padres manager Mike Shildt acknowledged the Dodgers’ ability to field an elite team, but emphasized his focus on defeating them rather than getting caught up in their financial strategies:
“It’s fair within the rules we all play by,” Shildt said. “They have a lot of advantages, and they’re smart to make the most of them. It’s a well-run organization, and I can’t fault them for that. But I don’t spend much time thinking about them. I focus on how we can beat them. We had a solid regular season against them, taking them to Game 5. My focus is on continuing to advance our mission, win the NL West, and ultimately get that championship ring.”
Many thought 2024 might be the Padres’ best shot at winning the World Series, as they posted an MLB-best 43-20 record in the second half and won eight of 13 regular-season matchups against the Dodgers. They also came close to eliminating L.A. in the NL Division Series, but the Dodgers rallied to win the final two games and advance.
From there, the Dodgers went on to defeat the New York Mets in the NL Championship Series and beat the New York Yankees in five games to claim the World Series crown.
Given the intense NLDS matchup, Dodgers manager Dave Roberts compared it to the World Series.
Shildt was taken aback by the Dodgers’ pitching performance during the NLDS, as they shut out the Padres for 24 consecutive innings to eliminate them.
“I think ‘stunning’ is the right word,” Shildt said after the Game 5 loss. “I’ve got to give credit where it’s due, and congratulations to the Dodgers. We had them on the ropes, but they managed to come back. So, congratulations to them.”
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