Padres News: Manny Machado Confirms He Will Be Opting Out of Contract After Season

Manny Machado doubled down on his plan to opt out of the final 5 years of his contract with the Padres.

On Friday, star third baseman Manny Machado confirmed his intention to opt out of the final 5 years and $150 million of his contract with the Padres after the 2023 season.

His reasoning he kept pretty simple... he can make a lot more money on his next contract.

Machado confirms he plans to opt out at the end of this season, said Padres know where he stands when it comes to a new deal. Noted the market has changed dramatically since he signed.

“There’s a lot of money out there.”

“As a player about to opt out, it’s pretty good to see.”

— Chelsea Janes (@chelsea_janes) February 17, 2023

Still, he's not going to let the contract noise get in the way of the goal this season.

"The team knows where I stand in my situation and my opt out coming and I think I've expressed that I will be opting out after this year. But my focus is not about 2024, it's about 2023 and what I can do to help this ballclub, to help this organization and what we're going to continue to do here. I think we've got something special here growing."

Machado signed a 10 year mega-deal worth $300 million with the Padres after the 2018 season. Since then, he's grown into a leader on the field and in the clubhouse while continuing to be one of the top players in the game. 

The Padre front office has made it known that they have every intention of trying to retain Manny into 2024 and beyond. This offseason alone, the club committed 11 years to Xander Bogaerts and 6 years to Yu Darvish, which will keep him in San Diego into his age 42 season. Additionally, the Pads were in on Aaron Judge and Trea Turner, among other high profile free agents earlier in the offseason.

At 31 years old, Manny Machado is still in a position to command one more mega-deal in his lifetime. Whether that's in the form of an extension this season or as a free agent after the season, Manny is going to get paid.