Padres Sign Manny Machado

The San Diego Padres have landed their prize as Manny Machado has agreed to a record-breaking deal.

It has finally happened. After weeks of talks, meetings, and negotiations, AJ Preller and company finally landed the big fish.

As reported by Jeff Passan, the San Diego Padres have agreed to a deal with free-agent Manny Machado.

It will be a 10-year, $300 million deal with an opt-out after five years, the largest deal in not just Padres history and not just baseball history; it is the biggest deal in sports history.

He is easily the first “big name” player San Diego has had since perhaps Adrian Gonzales. Machado does not need to be explained as he is a four-time All-Star as well as a two-time Gold Glove winner at third base. He is one of four major leaguers to have a WAR of 5.9 in three of the last four season.

A career .282/.355/.487 hitter with 175 career home runs, Machado will immediately fill a hole at third base that was questionable at best. Ty France was slotted in as the main starter, but with uber-prospect Fernando Tatis Jr.at shortstop and Machado back at third, France will most likely go back to Triple-A El Paso.

Manny Machado's deal, as @Feinsand first reported, is for 10 years and $300 million with an opt-out after the fifth season.

A monumental deal — the single biggest free agent contract in American sports history.

And now every eye in baseball turns to Bryce Harper. His move.

— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) February 19, 2019

After weeks of tense talks and meetings in Miami, multiple teams were rightfully in on the star infielder. Teams like the New York Yankees, Philadelphia Phillies, and the Chicago White Sox sent their best offers to Machado’s agent Dan Lozano, while Machado and his camp were more than willing to wait out fellow star free agent Bryce Harper and the notorious Scott Boras. However, with the Phillies seemingly zeroing in on Harper and the Yankees trying to stay below the luxury tax, it quickly became a two-team race; a race Preller and the Padres ultimately won.

After playing six and a half seasons with the Baltimore Orioles, Machado finally got his first taste of World Series action with the Los Angeles Dodgers, but the team up north fell to the Boston Red Sox even with Machado in tow. Now, he will attempt to go back to the World Series with his new team.

How he meshes with his teammates remains to be seen. Machado had his naysayers in last season’s playoffs for his hustle or lack thereof, but former players with the Orioles have stated that he is a good clubhouse presence and were saddened when he was traded.

There is a pause to this though. While financial terms have been agreed on, Machado has yet to pass a physical and the language of the deal hasn’t been determined. A similar situation occurred with Eric Hosmer last season after he signed his deal with the Padres, as the team took an extra two days to finish key terms.

If/when the deal is hammered out for good, the Padres will finally land not just a third baseman, but a franchise player with a potential spot in the Hall of Fame if everything goes his way. Even with the potential character flaws, Machado will still bring a powerful bat and a great glove to the left side of the Padres infield.

Jason Freund

I am currently attending San Diego State University while working on achieving a major in journalism. At SDSU, I write for The Daily Aztec while also hosting the sports radio show “Picked Off”, for KCR Radio. A loyal fan of San Diego sports, I hope to bring content that you will enjoy reading.