Manny Machado Could Be an Offseason Trade Candidate?

The San Diego Padres have been one of the bigger spenders in MLB in recent years, but with new owners in the fold, that may not remain the case moving forward.

Jose E. Feliciano and Kwanza Jones were adamant that they are all in to win in San Diego, though they also admitted that the team’s spending will be different than it was under Peter Seidler. As a result, some are wondering whether the Padres could look to shed a big contract this winter, and reporter Pat Ragazzo could see it being superstar third baseman Manny Machado.

Ragazzo wrote:

“The San Diego Padres have new owners that will probably have to dump one of their top three contracts in: Manny Machado, Fernando Tatis Jr. and Xander Bogaerts. Tatis is the Padres’ best player and is in year-six of a 14-year, $340 million extension.

Bogaerts hasn’t been the same hitter since signing with the Padres, which leaves Machado. And although Machado is having a down year, there are still plenty of teams that think the future Hall of Famer can help them. The Padres will of course have to pay down a portion of his salary in order to trade him,”

The 34-year-old Machado is finishing out the fourth year of the 11-year, $350 million contract extension he signed to stay with the Padres in 2023. He’s hitting .222 with 28 HRs and 83 RBI through 147 games played this season.