If Albert Pujols becomes manager of the Padres, Manny Machado might feel like he’s gone to baseball heaven.

Manny being Manny would become easier, what with Pujols, 45, serving as a big brother across an annual journey that spans up to nine full months.

Game recognizes game, and Machado, 33, knows Pujols was a baseball god.

When the former St. Louis Cardinals and Los Angeles Angels first baseman goes onto the Baseball Hall of Fame ballot for 2028, voters will check his name without any debate or research needed.

Machado has played for numerous managers who helped out.

Buck Showalter brought rare attention to detail with the Baltimore Orioles. Bob Melvin lent a former big league catcher’s savvy to a Machado-led Padres run to the 2022 National League Championship Series. Mike Shildt, on

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