Roberts: Machado’s throw into dugout ‘unsettling’
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Alden Gonzalez, ESPN Staff Writer
SAN DIEGO — The baseball that San Diego Padres third baseman Manny Machado threw toward the Dodgers‘ dugout Sunday night — triggering another heated back-and-forth between him and Los Angeles pitcher Jack Flaherty — landed in the vicinity of Dodgers manager Dave Roberts.
Roberts, speaking before his team’s workout Monday, said he didn’t notice it initially but later reviewed an internal video of the throw.
“It was unsettling,” Roberts said. “Obviously I have a relationship with Manny from years past. There was intent behind it. It didn’t almost hit me because there was a net. And that was very bothersome. If it was intended at me, I would be very — it’s pretty disrespectful. So, I don’t know his intent. I don’t want to speak for him. But I did see the video. And the ball was directed at me with something behind it. But I don’t know what led to that.”
Major League Baseball has been in touch with the Dodgers’ security staff and asked for footage of the incident, sources told ESPN, though any punishment seems unlikely. A video showing what appeared to be the incident in question was posted to social media on Monday night by the San Diego Union Tribune.
After Sunday’s Game 2 — a 10-2 win by the Padres that evened the National League Division Series at a game apiece — Machado accused Flaherty of hitting San Diego’s Fernando Tatis Jr. on purpose to begin the sixth inning, an accusation Flaherty vehemently denied. Two batters later, Flaherty struck out Machado and afterward yelled in his direction, telling him to “sit the f— down.”
Machado did not seem bothered by Flaherty’s reaction, instead chalking it up to “competition.” But the two exchanged words when Machado came back onto the field for defense in the bottom of the sixth, seemingly challenging each other to a postgame fight. Flaherty later revealed he was angry that Machado threw a baseball into the Dodgers’ dugout.
Machado initially dismissed the accusation, saying he constantly tosses baseballs into dugouts after pre-inning warmups conclude. But people on the Dodgers who either saw the throw or watched a video feed of it say it was thrown firmly, bouncing before hitting the netting that resides directly in front of where Roberts sits during games, on the home-plate end of the dugout. Machado downplayed the throw on Sunday night but also seemed to hint at his intentions when asked if it’s normal for him to throw unneeded baseballs into the dugout of an opposing team.
“Both dugouts,” Machado said. “They have foul balls, you throw the ball back in there. I mean, when you try to hit our best hitter. Right? Get him out. If you can’t get him out, don’t hit him. Right? They have the best player in the game, right? [Shohei] Ohtani? We don’t go out there and try to hit Ohtani. We try to get him out. Don’t go out there and try to hit my guy.”
“Obviously I have a relationship with Manny from years past. … If it was intended at me, I would be very — it’s pretty disrespectful. So, I don’t know his intent. I don’t want to speak for him. But I did see the video. And the ball was directed at me with something behind it. But I don’t know what led to that.”
Dodgers manager Dave Roberts
Before signing the first of two long-term contracts with the Padres, Machado played for the Dodgers in the stretch run of the 2018 season, coming over from the Baltimore Orioles to replace injured Corey Seager at shortstop. The Dodgers did not engage with Machado when he became a free agent the ensuing offseason.
Asked if he had any dialogue with Machado before he threw a baseball in his direction, Roberts said: “The only dialogue I had was he was chirping at Jack. And I looked at him and shook my head, making a point that we wouldn’t hit him on purpose to lead off an inning being down two runs.”
“I think he’s using it as fuel,” Roberts added. “As a baseball person, anyone understands that you don’t do that, intentionally put the leadoff man on base with 3-4-5 coming up behind. It just makes no sense.”
Flaherty struck an apologetic tone Monday, acknowledging that “things got out of hand” between him and Machado, adding: “I wish I would’ve just let it go.”
Machado addressed reporters before Roberts’ comments and was not made available afterward. Through a third party, Machado told The San Diego Union Tribune: “I spoke about this last night after the game. I’ve already turned the page, and I’m just looking forward to playing in front of our fans tomorrow and preparing for another tough battle against a very good team.”
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Daniel Oyefusi
FRISCO, Texas — Former Colorado quarterback Shedeur Sanders said Saturday he is unsure if he will throw at the NFL scouting combine in Indianapolis next month.
Sanders is attending the East-West Shrine Bowl but will not participate in practice or in the game Thursday. He was at the West team’s first practice at the University of North Texas on Saturday morning but stood on the field, watching the other prospects.
While Sanders won’t conduct any on-field work at the Shrine Bowl, he reiterated his belief that he’s worthy of being the top pick in the 2025 NFL draft. He has been training in the Dallas area with former Miami‘s Cam Ward, another top quarterback prospect in this year’s draft.
“We changed the program at Jackson [State University],” Sanders said. “We went to Colorado, changed the program. And we did everything people didn’t think we were able to do. So, that’s why I know I’m the most guaranteed risk you can take.”
Sanders met with multiple teams Friday, including the Tennessee Titans, Cleveland Browns and New York Giants, who hold the first three picks in the draft, respectively. The Titans met with Sanders for 45 minutes.
“I like that I’m able to get in the forefront of everything and they’re able to understand me and ask me whatever questions they want,” Sanders said. “I’m not ducking. I ain’t hiding. I’m right here, live in the flesh and able to answer whatever questions are out there.”
While Sanders is confident in his worthiness as the first overall pick, he said he would be “thankful for whatever situation and whoever drafts me. I know I’ll be able to change their program.”
Asked what he will bring to a team, Sanders smiled and said, “A lot of wins.”
Shedeur’s older brother Shilo, a safety, is also in Texas for the game. Colorado is also represented by wide receivers Will Sheppard, LaJohntay Wester, Jimmy Horn Jr. and cornerback Cam’Ron Silmon-Craig.
ESPN’s Turron Davenport contributed to this report.
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Jorge Castillo
NEW YORK — The New York Mets held their first winter event for fans in five years at Citi Field on Saturday, and there was one notable absence. Pete Alonso wasn’t in attendance because, for the first time since the 2016 draft, he isn’t a member of the Mets’ organization.
The homegrown star first baseman remains a free agent and, though a reunion remains possible, he might have played his last game as a Met.
Owner Steve Cohen bluntly said as much Saturday after taking the stage for a fireside chat with fans to chants of “We want Pete!”
“Personally, this has been an exhausting conversation and negotiation,” Cohen explained. “I mean, [Juan Soto’s negotiation] was tough. This is worse. A lot of it is, we’ve made a significant offer. I don’t like the structures that are being presented back to us. I think it’s highly asymmetric against us and I feel strongly about it.”
Alonso, along with third baseman Alex Bregman, is one of the two best position players left on the free agent market. The first baseman, who is represented by Scott Boras, originally sought a long-term deal, but he is open to returning to the Mets on a three-year contract and the Mets have been open to such a deal, according to a source. The obstacle has been money.
“I will never say no,” Cohen said. “There’s always the possibility. But the reality is we’re moving forward and we continue to bring in players. As we continue to bring in players, the reality is it becomes harder to fit Pete into what is a very expensive group of players that we already have and that’s where we are.
“I’m being brutally honest. I don’t like the negotiations. I don’t like what’s being presented to us. Maybe that changes. I’ll always stay flexible. But if it stays this way, I think we’re going to have to get used to the fact that we may have to go forward with the existing players that we have.”
The Mets recently re-signed outfielder/designated hitter Jesse Winker to a one-year, $7.5 million contract and added left-handed reliever A.J. Minter on a two-year, $22 million deal. They’ve also signed Soto (15 years, $765 million), Sean Manaea (three years, $75 million), Clay Holmes (three years, $38 million), and Frankie Montas (two years, $34 million), among other moves, this winter.
Preparing for life without Alonso, the Mets recently instructed third basemen Mark Vientos and Brett Baty to work out at first base. Vientos and Baty both confirmed the organization’s request Saturday.
“We all love Pete, and we’ve said that many times,” Mets president of baseball operations David Stearns said. “And I think, as we’ve gone through this process, we’ve continued to express that. We also understand that this is a business and Pete, as a free agent, deserves the right and has the right and earned the privilege, really, to see what’s out there. We also feel really good about the young players who are coming through our system who have the ability to play at the major-league level.”
Vientos, 25, enjoyed a breakout season as one of the best hitters in the National League after solidifying himself as the Mets’ every-day third baseman in May and helping fuel the team’s run to the NL Championship Series. Baty, a former top prospect, was the club’s opening day third baseman last season. He struggled after a hot start before he was demoted to Triple-A and didn’t return to the majors.
Mets manager Carlos Mendoza also named veterans Jared Young and Joey Meneses, both of whom signed this winter, as other options at first base if Alonso doesn’t return.
“Pete’s been here since I’ve been here,” said Mets shortstop Francisco Lindor, who has starred for the franchise since 2021. “He was here before me. So, yeah, it would be different if he goes somewhere else. Yeah, it would be different. But I think he should take his time. I think he should make the best decision for himself and not feel that he’s rushed.”
Alonso, 30, became a fan favorite while becoming a franchise cornerstone over his six seasons in Queens. He’s hit 226 home runs since making his major-league debut — the second-highest total in baseball behind only Aaron Judge. His 53 home runs in 2019 set a rookie record. He’s been a reliable everyday presence; he’s never missed more than nine games in a season and played in all 178 games, postseason included, in 2024. He’s made four All-Star teams and won the Home Run Derby twice.
But he rates as a poor defender and baserunner whose offensive production has declined over the last three seasons, creating a free-agent market that hasn’t been as fruitful as projected when he declined a seven-year, $158 million contract extension in 2023.
“Listen, he’s a special player,” Hall of Famer and former Mets catcher Mike Piazza said Saturday. “Guys that can hit 40 home runs are not walking on the street. So when he’s really in his game, he’s a special player. I hope, from a personal standpoint, I hope they work something out.”
Outfielder Brandon Nimmo, the longest-tenured player on the roster after debuting in 2016, signed an eight-year, $162 million contract to remain with the Mets two offseasons ago. Like Alonso, Boras is his agent. Unlike Alonso, he reached a resolution in December, not with spring training around the corner.
“I would love to see Pete back with us, but I also understand that I don’t make those decisions,” Nimmo said. “And that’s between Pete and our front office and David [Stearns] and Steve [Cohen]. And from what I understand, there’s been a lot of talks between them. I’m still hopeful that we’ll sign him.”
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