Manny Machado’s deal with the Padres elevates the team closer to its intended contention window.
No other team, perhaps, needed a superstar more than the San Diego Padres. Despite a bright future with many top prospects on their way, the Padres only offered a bleak present to a fanbase starved for excitement and winning.
Manny Machado’s record deal will do more than that.
On February 19th, 2019, the MLB Free Agency Ice Age melted. Machado thawed the ice by agreeing to a record-breaking contract. The San Diego Padres, who initially offered Machado a reported 8-year, $240 million deal, aggressively pushed for the star shortstop/third baseman—in the end, the team sweetened the deal, adding two more years at $30 million annually, bring the contract up to a 10-year, $300 million that is (as of now) the second-largest MLB deal ever handed out (first place goes to Giancarlo Stanton and his 13-year, $325 million pact).