San Diego Padres infielder Manny Machado is confident in his team’s ability. How confident? The 26-year-old Machado is willing to bet his entire contract on it.

During Thursday’s game against the Los Angeles Dodgers, Machado made a bold proclamation to a heckling fan. It involved Machado betting his entire contract the Padres would win the World Series before the Dodgers.

Manny Machado:" I'll bet you my contract, we'll win the World Series before you guys do" @barstoolsports @Dodgers pic.twitter.com/7M6mVzfGIJ — Zack Baly (@zbaly2) July 5, 2019

That’s pretty big talk for Machado. The Padres are currently 42-45. The Dodgers have been the class of the National League West for years now.

It might not always stay that way, though. Part of the reason Machado signed his 10-year, $300 million deal with the Padres was due to the team’s farm system. Fans have caught glimpses of that talent this season in both Fernando Tatis Jr. and Chris Paddack.

That doesn’t guarantee success, as prospects can fail, but the Padres are clearly on the way up as an organization. While the Dodgers are older, it’s tough to argue they will fall off any time soon. The Dodgers have immense young talent and depth, and all the money in the world. Should they lose significant pieces over the next couple seasons, the Dodgers can easily make additions in free agency to stay near the top of the NL West.

In a world where the Padres’ prospects continue to hit, this leads to one heck of a future battle for the division. Add in Machado’s bold claim here, and we might be seeing baseball’s next big rivalry blossom right before our eyes.

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Chris Cwik is a writer for Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at christophercwik@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter! Follow @Chris_Cwik

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