The San Diego Padres reportedly are continuing to make moves, despite a busy Thursday. The Padres expect to pursue an extension with six-time All-Star third baseman Manny Machado according to The Athletic’s Dennis Lin. With any luck, the long-term deal could come to fruition before Opening Day.
The baseball world appears to have some thoughts on the possibility.
For starters, Manny Machado becomes a free agent after the 2023 season, but has a player option through the 2028 season:
Padres roster at the end of their contracts pic.twitter.com/QigLlMM7K4
— Mark Del Figgalo (@HutchChad) February 9, 2023
Machado also has 11 seasons under his belt slashing a career .282/.341/.493 with 283 home runs and 1,597 hits. He also earned two Gold Glove Awards and a Platinum Glove to seal the deal.
The above tweet also could be poking fun at the fact the Padres agreed to a six-year, $108-million extension with starting pitcher Yu Darvish.
The 36-year-old Darvish will be 42 by the time his contract is over.
Back to Machado …
He’s so beloved in San Diego and has proven to be part of the recruiting process — whether he truly had his hand in it or not.
— 97.3 The Fan (@973TheFanSD) February 8, 2023
Lock up Manny and you KNOW that Manny-Tati-Bogaerts is a thing for a decade. That's a window propped wide open. https://t.co/z7NTorz38k
— Craig Elsten (@619sports) February 8, 2023
Last season’s trade deadline brought young outfielder phenom Juan Soto over from the Washington Nationals in order to lift them to the finish line.
It’s also not farfetched to think Machado would want to test the free agency market. Especially with all of the monetary value being dealt to them within recent years.
Speaking of Juan Soto, don’t be surprised if he also earns himself an extension.
The same could happen with Juan Soto. https://t.co/D0KntF55up
— Héctor Gómez (@hgomez27) February 9, 2023
The Padres general manager A.J. Preller never sleeps, especially during the offseason. So these moves, while effective, are not the end all by any means.
The team finished second (89-73) in the National League West behind the Los Angeles Dodgers. They made it all the way to the NL Championship Series when they were defeated by the Philadelphia Phillies.
