Padres Owner Peter Seidler: 'We're Here to Win a Championship'
The Padres officially announced their 11-year contract extension with Manny Machado on Tuesday morning, and later on Tuesday we got details of the deal. Machado will be paid relatively little money over the first three years of the deal, and then the value will jump over the last part of the contract.
Machado said he was willing to structure the deal that way to allow San Diego to continue adding to their team in an attempt to with the first World Series in franchise history, as Kevin Acee reports in the San Diego Union-Tribune.
“Hopefully Soto next,” Machado said with a smile during Tuesday morning’s news conference announcing the deal, which was attended by Soto, Xander Bogaerts, Jake Cronenworth, Josh Hader, Joe Musgrove, manager Bob Melvin and a dozen other Padres players.
Padres owner Peter Seidler is on the same page as Machado when it comes to building a team.
“The bottom line is we’re here to win a championship, and we came reasonably close last year,” Seidler said. “We believe we have every chance this year. And the organization’s objective and I know Manny’s objective is every single year at this time people are saying hey, the Padres got a shot. … we have full intentions of being in that group and high in that group every year.”
Seidler is the grandson of Walter O'Malley and the nephew of Peter O'Malley, two former Dodgers owners who presided over six World Series titles in Los Angeles. Seidler wants to continue his family's legacy by bringing a championship to San Diego.
Locking up Machado longterm is one more step in that process. Is Soto next?