Padres’ Manny Machado plans to opt out of contract. What does future hold for San Diego star?
$352 million in salary commitments this winter, the good times never seem to end for the San Diego Padres.Â
Yet they are something of a baseball paradox, because even as they guaranteed Xander Bogaerts $280 million to play shortstop until 2033, their window as a superteam is actually narrowing.Â
The club was reminded of that Friday when All-Star third baseman Manny Machado reported to spring training and confirmed to reporters that he will opt out of his contract after the 2023 season, a fact that on its face isn’t surprising.Â
Machado and Bogaerts will comprise the best left side of an infield in baseball, arguably one of the greatest in the game’s modern history. Yet we are once again reminded that they’re only guaranteed to be together this year.Â
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Bogaerts, the great Juan Soto and Machado in the middle of the lineup? At best that’s a two-year guarantee, what with Soto headed for free agency after 2024 and aiming to get back on track for a $400 million payday.Â
But it is Machado who is ninth among all position players with 11.9 WAR the past two seasons, who has posted an .855 OPS and 136 adjusted OPS since joining the Padres in 2019, with second- and third-place finishes in MVP voting two of the past three seasons.Â
It’s also Machado whose 10-year, $300 million contract (which he did not sign until after spring training began in 2019, a nod to the glorious days of soft collusion) has now become grossly outdated. And Machado whose representation wisely stuck an opt-out clause into that deal after this season.Â
on banned substances.Â
And it is Machado whose agent, Dan Lozano, is not averse to hammering out massive extensions for his clients, be it Albert Pujols, Joey Votto. Lozano is not quite Scott Boras when it comes to marching his clients to the open market; but he also does not get shortchanged.Â
Yu Darvish, $108 million extension) elite players.Â
They certainly can’t stop with Machado.
“They know where we stand,” Machado said Friday, speaking as a man holding all of the cards, “and that’s all I can answer.”
The next response will likely come from the Padres’ checkbook.Â