Passan: Padres, Machado Agree To 11-Year, $350 Million Extension
Manny Machado. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports
Just a week after Manny Machado reportedly said he was going to opt out of his current contract, the superstar third baseman is reportedly in agreement on a lucrative extension. Per Jeff Passan of ESPN, the Padres and Manny Machado are in agreement on an 11-year, $350 million deal. Dennis Lin of the Athletic also confirmed that the extension will kick in this year. Lin added that the deal has no opt outs and a full no-trade clause.
Prior to the 2019 season, the Padres signed Machado to a 10-year, $300 million deal. The contract had a player opt out built in after the 2023 season. Built that way, Machado was hoping for a terrific start to the deal, so he can opt out and cash in again. Well, that is exactly what happened.
He was an All-Star selection in both 2021 and 2022. In each of these seasons, he tallied an OPS above .830 and drove in 100-plus runs. In 2022, he finished second in National League MVP voting. As a result, he got to follow his plan to a tee and cash in once again with a new 11-year extension that averages out to about $31.81 million per season. This figure is good enough for 11th-most in the league (among hitters) and the third-highest among third baseman. And, unlike his prior extension, includes no opt outs and a full no-trade clause.
Of course, as soon as the news broke that Machado was set to opt out and hit the open market after the 2023 season, connections were immediately made with New York Mets. It made sense too. This given the Mets’ pursuit of Carlos Correa this past offseason – who would have played third base – as well as Machado’s connection with manager Buck Showalter during their time together in Baltimore. Not to mention, whenever a top-tier free agent is on the open market, Steve Cohen’s Mets are expected to be at the front of the line.
With the news of the projected second-best free agent after this season being taken off the market, it appears all eyes will be turned to pending free agent pitcher/designated hitter Shohei Ohtani. He will be, by far, the top option on the market. So, as mentioned above, expect the Mets to poke their nose around there come next offseason.
The post Passan: Padres, Machado Agree To 11-Year, $350 Million Extension first appeared on Metsmerized Online.