The San Diego Padres proved they are serious about contending in 2019 when they signed Manny Machado to a massive contract on Tuesday, but oddsmakers still do not consider their chances of winning the World Series to be all that great.
As sports business reporter Darren Rovell noted, the Padres odds of winning the World Series next season were 100/1 with the FanDuel Sportsbook before they signed Machado. Shelling out $300 million for the free agent slugger increased their odds to 66/1.
Machado deal moves Padres odds of winning the World Series, at @FDSportsbook, from 100/1 to 66/1.
— Darren Rovell (@darrenrovell) February 19, 2019
While the Padres have a lot of young talent and are in a great position to contend for years to come, they won just 66 games last season and finished last in the NL West. They have not been to the playoffs since 2006, so it will take a lot more than just Machado to get them back to the postseason.
The fact that the Padres were so bad in 2018 is one of the reasons many felt they were not serious with their interest in Machado and Bryce Harper, but their offer to the shortstop proved otherwise. At least one team from a much bigger market was left stunned by Machado choosing San Diego.
