The San Diego Padres have signed infielder Manny Machado to a 10-year, $300 million contract through the 2028 season, executive vice president/general manager A.J. Preller announced on Feb. 20. The agreement, which is the largest for a free agent in Major League history, includes an opt-out clause after the 2023 season. To make room for Machado on the 40-man roster, the Padres transferred right-hander Dinelson Lamet to the 60-day Injured List.
In 162 games between the Baltimore Orioles and Los Angeles Dodgers last season, Machado batted .297 (188-for-632) with a 6.2 WAR (FanGraphs) .367 OBP, .538 SLG, .905 OPS, 35 doubles, three triples, 37 home runs, 107 RBI (career high), 70 walks, 14 stolen bases and 84 runs scored. The 26-year-old tied for the most games played in MLB and finished T-3rd in hits, fourth in total bases (340), T-6th in multi-hit games (54), T-7th in game-winning RBI (14), T-8th in RBI, 9th in WAR, T-9th in HR, and 11th in SLG and OPS. His splits between right and left-handed pitchers were nearly identical, as he posted a .298/.358/.539 slash line against righties and a .297/.386/.535 line versus southpaws. During the 2018 postseason, Machado homered in three of his first five games and reached base safely in 13 of 16 games overall.
“Manny Machado is a generational talent, and we’re ecstatic that he’s chosen to spend his prime years in a San Diego Padres uniform,” Padres executive chairman Ron Fowler and general partner Peter Seidler said in a joint statement. “This momentous agreement speaks volumes to the direction of our organization, as well as our commitment to bringing a World Series Championship to the Friar Faithful and the City of San Diego.”
“Manny is one of the truly elite players in baseball and impacts the game on both sides of the ball,” said Preller. “The resume that Manny has built at such a young age puts him in an exclusive club of big-league talent, and we feel fortunate to have the support of Ron, Peter and the entire ownership group to make this deal possible.
“We’ve spent the last several years building a foundation of talent throughout our system that allows us to make a landmark signing such as this. Our scouting, front office and research and development groups all believe that Manny is the right player at the right time for us. His combination of youth, experience and ability makes him a perfect fit for the Padres both now and in the future as we work to build a perennial contender at the Major League level.”
A four-time All-Star and two-time Gold Glove Award winner, Machado has posted a .282 average (1050-for-3720) with a .822 OPS, 211 doubles, 12 triples, 175 home runs, 513 RBI, 296 walks and 522 runs scored in 926 career games. Originally selected by the Orioles in the first round (third overall) of the 2010 First-Year Player draft out of Brito Miami Private High School (Fla.), Machado has finished in the Top 10 of AL MVP voting five times and Top 5 four times. Since his first full Major League season in 2013, he is tied with Joey Votto for sixth place among all position players in WAR (29.0), trailing only Mike Trout (54.0), Josh Donaldson (35.6), Paul Goldschmidt (32.9), Mookie Betts (30.5) and Jose Altuve (29.4).
Machado will wear No. 13.
