San Diego Padres star Manny Machado did a lot for the team in the 2022 season. With Fernando Tatis Jr. out, it was unclear how the season would go. While the Padres were off to a rocky start, Machado was a huge piece in holding the team together.

San Diego made the playoffs for the first time since 2006 (excluding the partial 2020 season), and Machado was the leading power hitter on a team that, overall, lacked power.

He has quite an extensive list of awards over his 11-season career, including two Gold Gloves, a Platinum Glove and a Silver Slugger, among many others. He’s extremely talented both offensively and defensively, and after seeing the market this offseason, it makes sense that he’d opt out and test the free agency waters.

His motive of opting out is unclear, however, it seems likely he’d do so to negotiate a salary. If that’s the case, it’s a risky move.

Manny Machado is testing rocky waters with his salary

Machado is already on a large 10-year contract worth $300 million, earning $30 AAV. In 2022, he was the ninth-highest paid player in the league. This offseason was a record-high for contracts, but Machado is already up to where most of the stars on the market got signed for.

Aaron Judge got signed to a nine-year contract worth $360 million with an AAV of $40 million, the largest contract in MLB history. However, it was no surprise the New York Yankees dished out such a huge amount of money to their star who made history and broke the 61-year-old single season home run record.

Trea Turner’s contract with the Philadelphia Phillies is equivalent to Machado’s with the Padres. Beyond that, everyone signed this offseason is making less than Machado.

Perhaps Machado just doesn’t want to be in San Diego anymore. It’s not surprising if that’s the case as he was unsustainably relied upon last season. However, free agency is typically about exploring salary offers, and while a team in construction would likely hand Machado a pretty penny, it’s intriguing to think what might come from opting out.

-Rylie Smith

*Photo courtesy of The San Diego Union – Tribune, and K.C. Alfred*