Manny Machado Oct 22, 2022; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; San Diego Padres third baseman Manny Machado (13) gestures after hitting a home run in the first inning during game four of the NLCS against the Philadelphia Phillies for the 2022 MLB Playoffs at Citizens Bank Park.Mandatory Credit: Eric Hartline-USA TODAY Sports

Manny Machado and the San Diego Padres are expected to play ball for contract talks all season. Machado has an opt-out after this season that the multi-time All-Star infielder may intend to use. The club wants to sign the superstar to a long-term contract. As it stands now, just a day into Spring Training, both sides are reportedly still open to converging on a long-term deal.

The update comes after Machado recently implied that he had set a hard deadline for a contract extension discussion. The date was reportedly February 16 according to longtime reporter Kevin Acee of the San Diego Union-Tribune. But on Friday night, Dennis Lin of The Athletic reported a huge update: Machado and the Padres remain open to a contract extension.

“Manny Machado, Padres still in talks over extension: ‘Nothing’s out of the question,'” Lin tweeted.

Machado goes into 2023 on the heels of an outstanding 2022. He produced an MVP-caliber season at the plate and in the field. He hit .298 with 32 home runs and an OPS+ of 159. Machado has ranked as one of, if not the best third baseman in the game practically since his arrival.

Manny signed with the Padres in 2019. Since then he has produced and become a favorite amongst their fans. He’s the kind of guy who, if he’s on your team you love him, and if he’s not you might hate him.

The MLB world is buzzing over this big Manny Machado update. Especially Padres fans.

 

[Dennis Lin]

About Chris Novak

Chris Novak has been talking and writing about sports ever since he can remember. Previously, Novak wrote for and managed sites in the SB Nation network for nearly a decade from 2013-2022