Manny Machado and Michael King gave the Padres enough in October to earn national recognition, even as San Diego’s postseason ended at the hands of the Brewers.
On Thursday, MLB.com named Machado its starting third baseman on the “2026 All-Postseason Team,” and King landed on the pitching staff after a run that included three playoff appearances, a 0.64 ERA and 15 strikeouts in 14 innings.
Machado’s postseason moment may be the one Padres fans keep replaying: the eighth inning of Game 4 of the NL Division Series, when Brewers center fielder Garrett Mitchell climbed over the fence to snatch away a potential game-tying homer. The expression on Machado’s face - “a mix of bemusement, wonder and, ultimately, disbelief” - stood out in a series Milwaukee ultimately won 3-1.
Still, the Brewers had their hands full. Four of the five games between the clubs were decided by one run, and neither side ever led by more than two in the series.
Machado also carried his bat well beyond that near-miss, including his work in the Wild Card Series against the Cubs. MLB.com’s Jared Greenspan pointed to the bigger postseason picture around Machado, writing, “The seven-time All-Star entered this year hitting just .209 in 51 career postseason games,” before adding, “But Machado was at his best this fall, hitting .350 (7-for-20) with a 1.080 OPS in six playoff games.”
King’s postseason was every bit as sturdy as his numbers suggest. He opened the playoffs with seven no-hit innings in Game 1 against the Cubs, powering San Diego to an 8-0 win. Against Milwaukee, he followed with five innings of one-run ball in Game 2, then came out of the bullpen two days later and delivered two scoreless innings for the save in the Padres’ 4-3 win that forced a Game 4.
Greenspan singled out that rescue act as a “gutsy relief appearance.” He wrote, “San Diego needed a win in Game 3 of the NLDS to keep its season alive, and its top two relievers were unavailable,” then noted, “So, King - two days after pitching five solid innings in NLDS Game 2 - came out of the bullpen to nail down the final six outs of a victory taut with tension.”
The work also drew praise from elsewhere. Sam Blum included King on The Athletic’s “All-Playoff Team,” describing him this way: “In King’s first two postseason starts, he allowed just one run over 12 innings, with 14 strikeouts and three walks.
Not bad,” Blum wrote. “But what puts him on this list is what he did the day after that second start.
The Padres, facing elimination and down their top two relievers, called on King for a two-inning save. It was a heroic effort that got lost because San Diego’s postseason run flamed out the next night.
It also says a lot about King, given the expectation that he’ll be a free agent this offseason. He risked his health for that win.”
In Other News...
Padres Face Tough 40-Man Calls On Prospects They Cant Risk Losing
With the Rule 5 draft still stuck in limbo until a new Collective Bargaining Agreement is in place and the lockout ends, the Padres are in a holding pattern on one of the more delicate parts of their offseason. They cannot make their Rule 5 decisions until the process gets moving again, but the clock is still ticking on a group of young players who have put themselves on the radar and may need roster protection before another club gets a chance to grab them.
Among the names in that conversation are Tucker Musgrove, Gutierrez, Jagger Haynes, Braedon Karpathios and Jake Cunningham, a mix of arms and bats that gives San Diego plenty to weigh. The Padres have to balance immediate 40-man pressure against the risk of losing a prospect who could help them down the road, and with the timing still unresolved, those calls are going to linger a while longer than usual. [Read more 🡒]
Padres Face A Costly Pitching Dilemma They Cant Ignore
The Padres are heading into an offseason where the rotation has to be the priority, and not just because the 2026 season exposed how thin the starting pitching picture has become. San Diego has already been linked to free agent Freddy Peralta, a sign the front office knows it needs a proven arm if it wants to stabilize the staff and keep the club from chasing innings all year.
The challenge is that the pitching market may not be kind to them. Michael King has declined his player option and is projected to land with the Mets, while Adrian Morejon is also forecasted to move on in 2027, leaving the Padres to weigh how much they can realistically spend to keep multiple key arms in place. Financial pressure is now part of the equation, and it could force San Diego to choose between adding at the top of the rotation and trying to hold the rest of the staff together. [Read more 🡒]
Manny Machado Just Raised One Big Padres Offseason Question
Manny Machados postseason was a reminder of just how much he can still tilt a series when the lights are brightest. After being selected to MLB.coms All-Postseason Team, he finished with a .350 average and a 1.080 OPS, production that stood out even with the Padres going home early.
For San Diego, the bigger takeaway is what that kind of showing means going forward. Machado proved he can impact games against strong competition, and the offseason conversation now turns to how the Padres can build around that level of performance rather than waste it. [Read more 🡒]