San Diego Padres third baseman Manny Machado. Rick Scuteri-USA TODAY Sports

Padres make major decision on Manny Machado

Originally posted on Larry Brown Sports
By Steve DelVecchio | Last updated 2/26/23

Manny Machado will not be opting out of his contract with the San Diego Padres following the 2023 season.

Machado and the Padres have agreed to a massive contract extension, ESPN’s Jeff Passan reported on Sunday. The new deal is worth $350 million over 11 years and should tie Machado to San Diego for the remainder of his MLB career.

BREAKING: Star third baseman Manny Machado and the San Diego Padres are finalizing an 11-year, $350 million contract extension, sources familiar with the deal tell ESPN. Machado helped turn around the franchise. He'll stay as the ascendant Padres seek their first championship.

— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) February 26, 2023

Machado signed a 10-year, $300 million contract with the Padres prior to the 2019 season. The deal had a player option after the 2023 season that would have allowed Machado to opt out of the final five years and $150 million. The third baseman recently hinted that he was planning to test the market, but the Padres made a huge commitment to assure that did not happen.

Machado is 30 and coming off another monster season in which he hit .298 with 32 home runs and 102 RBI. The Padres also signed 30-year-old shortstop Xander Bogaerts to an 11-year, $280 million deal this offseason. They are clearly committed to spending as much as needed to contend for championships over the next several years.

This article first appeared on Larry Brown Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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