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Manny Machado has said that he will opt out of his current deal with the San Diego Padres after the 2023 season in search of more money. The team reportedly offered him an additional five-year, $105 million extension on February 14th that would keep him at Petco Park for another 11 years in total (if he plays that long) but the third basemen is apparently looking for a more lucrative contract.
And while GM AJ Preller and Machado remain engaged in talks, Machado is sticking to his Feb. 16th deadline for any serious negotiations, with the upcoming campaign the primary focus, although he's not totally ruling out putting pen to paper in the coming weeks or months:
“Deadlines are deadlines,” Machado said, via The Athletic. “But they know where I stand. The opportunity will arise if it comes to that. You know, nothing’s out of question. Obviously, they know how much San Diego means to me and what I want to be here. At the end of the day, they knew exactly where I was when that deadline was set. And we’ll see what happens. Our main focus right now is playing baseball. We’ll see.”
Manny Machado is a massive part of this Padres ballclub and they're adamant to keep him long-term. Preller has made that very clear and so has owner Peter Seidler, who said Machado is the front office's “top priority”.
The six-time All-Star does believe Seidler will live up to his word, too:
“Peter’s the boss,” Machado said. “At the end of the day, he has the last decision, and he’s told me that before, and, you know, he’s a man of his word. So we’ll see. We’ll see.”
Machado hit .298 with 32 home runs and 102 RBI last season. After seeing what happened on the market this winter, there is no question the 30-year-old is worth every penny he seeks. After all, the numbers speak for themselves.
