Padres and third baseman Manny Machado They are finalizing an 11-year, $350MM deal, reports said ESPN’s Jeff Basson. The deal will start this year America’s Bob Nightingale today, which means it will run until 2033. That would be Machado’s age-40 season. Machado had six years and $180MM remaining on his previous deal, so this new deal will add five years and $170MM in new money. There are no deviations in the new contract Dennis Lynn and Britt Crowley of the Athletics. Machado will also have a full no-trade clause Lynn.
Machado, 30, signed a 10-year, $300MM deal with the Padres through 2019, giving him the ability to opt out after five years of that deal. That departure is at the end of the upcoming season and several factors made it seem like an easy decision for Machado. For one thing, he continues to produce at an elite level, including through the 2022 season, which could be his best yet. He hit 32 home runs and stole nine bases last year, finishing the season with a .298/.366/.531 batting line. His 152 wRC+ indicates that he was 52% better than the league average hitter. He also graded out eight outs above average at third base, with his overall contributions exceeding 7.4 hits, according to FanGraphs’ calculations.
Not only that, but the market for elite players has been very strong this winter, with many players going deep into nine-figure territory. Aaron Judge $360MM guaranteed, Tree Turner received $300MM, Xander Bogaerts $280MM, Dansby Swanson $177MM, Carlos Rodan $162MM, Jacob deGrom $185MM and Brandon Nimmo With $162MM Machado having five years and $150MM remaining on his contract at the end of this year, opting out was the obvious choice from a financial standpoint and Machado has been very open about his plans to go that route.
Earlier this month, it was reported that the Padres were planning to work out an extension with Machado to prevent Machado from opting out, though a week ago negotiations appeared to be in jeopardy. It was reported at the time that Machado’s camp had set a Feb. 16 deadline for negotiations, after which he would prefer to put contract talks aside to focus on baseball. The club apparently offered to add five years and $105MM to his contract, which wasn’t enough to put pen to paper. With the deadline looming, it looked like the season would begin with uncertainty, although reports on Friday indicated that discussions were continuing. It looks like the Friars have increased their chances of bringing Machado’s reps back to the table and hammering out a deal.
A lot more to come.
