Manny Machado is a Padre for life

Manny Machado has planned to opt out of his 300 million dollar contract for free agency in 2023. Machado finished the 2023 season with wRC+ (152) and WAR (7.4), placed second in the NL MVP voting, and led the Padres to their first NLCS in 24 years. The Padres offered him a 105 million dollar, five-year extension to add to his current contract, but Machado turned it down, looking for a different arrangement.

In a press conference, Manny said, “There's a lot of money out there," he told reporters (including Chelsea Janes of the Washington Post). After this last offseason with the amount of money being tossed around to players.  

Everyone thought Machado was going to opt out and maybe not stay with the padre's powerhouse but, out of nowhere, the padres offered an 11-year contract for 350 million dollars. The Padres were finalizing a contract on February 26th. Manny is a qualifying candidate for the 10-year deal, Manny did come off an MVP-looking year, hitting .298, Slugging with .531, and wRC+ 152.

If Machado did plan to opt out of his current contract, rumors were saying the New York Mets would have been a good fit for Manny. But for the padres, they have built this defense around him, bringing in Fernando Tatis Jr., Xander Borgets, and even Juan Soto. The Padres also locked up Joe Musgrove over the offseason. The Padres now have a finalized left side of the infield for years to come.