The San Diego Padres will have a multitude of dilemmas to address after the 2023 season, including on the future of Manny Machado with the team. Machado currently has six more years left on the blockbuster 10-year, $300 million deal he signed off on in 2019, but he will be able to opt out of the contract following the 2023 campaign.

From Padres general manager A.J. Preller’s standpoint, he is hoping to see Machado stay put with the team past the upcoming season. During a recent appearance on ESPN’s “Baseball Tonight with Buster Olney” podcast, Preller made clear that he wants the veteran third baseman to don a Padres jersey for a “long time.”

“He's coming off another MVP-type season, and we want him here with the Padres; we want him here a long time,” Preller said. “But he's under contract, so it's more Manny's decision, honestly, with how this plays out with the opt-out at the end of the season.

“What we've tried to do is make it known that we value and appreciate him, and we're going to listen to what he wants to say, and then we're going to figure out what's best for everyone moving forward.”

Preller also noted that he plans to touch base with Machado on this matter in the coming weeks.

If the Padres and Machado do not reach an agreement on a new contract before this year’s free agency period, the expectation is that the six-time All-Star will elect to go on and opt out of his contract. The New York Post’s Jon Heyman noted last month that San Diego is “expecting him to exercise his opt-out” later this year.

Overall, Machado had the most productive season of his run with the Padres in the 2022 campaign; he recorded 32 home runs and 102 RBI en route to a second-place finish in the voting for the 2022 National League MVP Award. He also played an instrumental role in San Diego's thrilling run to the NLCS. For one, he posted a .357 batting average and a .471 OBP in the team's NLDS win over its National League West rival in the Los Angeles Dodgers.