Newly hired San Diego Padres manager Craig Stammen sent a message to the Los Angeles Dodgers ahead of the 2026 season.
Stammen took the helm in San Diego following the sudden retirement of Mike Shildt after the 2025 season, and is already looking forward to matching up against the defending World Series champions.
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“We’re going to compete,” Stammen said. “No doubt about that. We’re going to give them our best shot. That’s what we’ll do every year, that’s what we’re going to do every year. They’re a great team, two-time defending World Series champions, a lot of great star players, future Hall of Famers.
“We feel good about our roster too. We feel good about our team, we feel good about the attitude. We’ve definitely had a lot of battles with them, we know what it’s like to play in Dodger Stadium, we know what it’s like to play them at Petco [Park] and how exciting that atmosphere is.
“They’re a tough team, they’re a great team, but there’s nothing better in the big leagues than playing against the best.”
The Dodgers and Padres have had a heated rivalry over the past couple of seasons, with moments ranging from fierce playoff series to benches-clearing brawls. The Dodgers comfortably won the season series against their NL West competitors in 2025, claiming nine of the 13 games between the two.
San Diego has only gotten weaker since the beginning of the offseason, having lost All-Star closer Robert Suarez, starter Dylan Cease, and All-Star Ryan O’Hearn in free agency. Additionally, Yu Darvish is set to miss the entirety of 2026 with an injury. The only high-profile move they’ve made to remedy their losses was re-signing starting pitcher Michael King to a three-year deal.
Contrarily, the Dodgers have maintained their strength from 2025 and have added a new All-Star piece in Edwin Diaz, who will be a massive piece of a bullpen looking to bounce back next season.
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LA won’t see the Padres in the regular season until May 19, when the division is likely to have found its form. The Dodgers will look to continue their domination of the Padres and the rest of the NL West in 2026, where they will look to complete the first three-peat in franchise history.
Photo Credit: Mike Watters-Imagn Images
