Manny Machado and the San Diego Padres are near finalizing a contract extension for the star third baseman for 11 years, worth $350 million.
Earlier in the week, Machado planned to opt out of the final five-year contract worth $30 million annually. This happened after contract negotiations hit a standstill. Although initially, Machado set a February 16 deadline to come to a deal for an extension, talks continued with the Padres front office.
Machado perhaps had the finest season of his career, leading the Padres to the NLCS, where they lost to the Philadelphia Phillies in five games. Machado hit 32 home runs, 102 RBI, and an OPS of .897.
The Padres, who have yet to win a World Series in their more than half-century existence, initially signed Machado in 2019. The team showed little in Machado’s first season, winning just 70 games. But they have added pieces in Fernando Tatis Jr, Juan Soto, and, this offseason, Xander Bogaerts.
Considering the high salaries on the roster, which also includes nine-figure contract extensions to pitchers Joe Musgrove and Yu Darvish, whether the Padres could extend Machado was one of the hottest topics in baseball early on this year.
Initially, the Padres intended to offer Machado a five-year extension for $10 million, but Machado wanted much more than the team paid Bogaerts and wanted to opt out of the deal.
Now that Machado is back in the mix, the Padres are tied with the Phillies for the 6th best odds to win the World Series, behind the Astros, Mets, Yankees, Dodgers, and Braves.
Machado enters the season as a six-time All-Star and two-time Gold Glove Award winner. The 30-year-old has six seasons with at least 30 home runs and three seasons with at least 100 RBI. Machado has a career batting average of .282 with 283 home runs and 853 RBI.
Featured Img Src: Ryan Casey Aguinaldo, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
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