Manny Machado signed a massive extension to stay with the San Diego Padres. After reports surfaced that he intended to opt out at the end of the 2023 season, the Padres moved quickly and extended the MVP finalist.
He is central to your future plans. When they initially signed him, the idea was for him to be the first significant piece in the rebuild. Over time, they would add talent around them.
That’s exactly what they did, and he decided to play with that value he created and get a better contract. Knowing his situation if he left, the Padres were happy to oblige.
Now he, Fernando Tatis Jr. and Xander Bogaerts will be in San Diego for at least a decade. It is a worthy nucleus, especially if they can extend Juan Soto as part of it.
The question remains whether or not Machado is worth $350 million or not.
Why Manny Machado is worth $350 million
From a player value standpoint, it’s hard to argue against Manny Machado’s contract. Generally speaking, a contract is based on what a player has done, not what he will do.
It’s impossible to predict if a player like Aaron Judge will be worth $40 million this season, but he was worth it in previous seasons. Maybe Machado won’t be worth all this money, but he was worth it.
By the time he starts to deteriorate and isn’t up to his game, the $31.2 million he earns per season will be dwarfed by other superstars.
Aaron Judge broke $40 million. Shohei Ohtani could break $50 million; by then, $31.2 million for a superstar will be a steal.
It’s also critical for the Padres, so for them, it’s more than worth it.