Padres star Manny Machado has put to rest any speculation about his contract as he enters the final year before a potential opt-out.
Speaking with reporters from Spring Training on Friday, the six-time All-Star confirmed that he will indeed decline his player option for 2024-28 at season's end.
"Am I going to be a Padre next year? I mean, so far this year I'm a Padre, but who knows after next year? The team knows where I stand, my situation, with the opt-out coming. I think I've expressed that I will be opting out after this year. But my focus is not about 2024, my focus is about 2023 and what I can do for this ballclub, what I've done for this organization, and what we're going to continue to do here. I think we have something special here growing, and I don't think anything's going to change."
Opting out would mean Machado is walking away from the five years and $160 million remaining on the lucrative 10-year, $300 million deal he signed with the Friars ahead of the 2019 campaign.
But given Machado's strong performance in recent seasons, there's a very good chance he will comfortably surpass those terms on the open market, something he seemed to acknowledge on Friday.
"There's a lot of money out there. There's a lot of money out there. These owners are making a lot of money, and we're bringing in a lot of money too. We're having out fun out there, we're having a good time, and we're filling up the seats. So, it's all business. These are things that happen. Markets change from when I signed five years ago -- it's changed tremendously. Things change and evolve."
The 30-year-old superstar finished second in National League MVP voting in 2022, in what was arguably his finest season in the big leagues. The slick-fielding third baseman hit .298/.366/.531 with 32 home runs, 100 runs, and 102 RBIs in 150 games. When it was all said and done, Machado finished with a career-best 7.4 WAR in Fangraphs' version of the metric.
Due to turn 31 in July, Machado would likely be looking at his last chance at a massive payday. In fact, he could become the sport's first player to sign multiple $300 million deals, according to MLB Trade Rumors. So far in his career, he has earned around $142 million, according to Baseball-Reference.
On the open market, Machado projects to command the second-biggest contract next offseason, behind only Angels superstar Shohei Ohtani, according to Tim Kelly of Audacy Sports.
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