Manny Machado is set to sign the biggest contract in the history of American sports
Everyone, we made it. We finally have a resolution to one of the biggest questions from this offseason: where is Manny Machado going to play baseball in 2019 and beyond.
Manny Machado is one of the better young stars in the game of baseball. Since he debuted for the Orioles back in 2012, Machado has accumulated 30.2 fWAR while slashing .282/.335/.487 while playing sterling defense over at third base before a switch to shortstop this past season. He has had his detractors to be sure due to some issues with his drive and hustle, but there is no denying that he is a dynamic player and players like him at his age very seldomly hit the free agent market.
We have heard rumors all offseason about is supposed preferences and rumored landing spots including the Yankees, White Sox, Phillies, etc. Recently, there was traction that the Padres, a rumored late entrant into the big name free agent market, had strong interest in his services and had met with him in Miami to pursue him. It looks like they were successful.
BREAKING: Manny Machado has agreed to terms on a deal with the Padres. According to a league source, it’s for 10 years and $300 million - the biggest free-agent contract in the history of American sports.
— Mark Feinsand (@Feinsand) February 19, 2019
To say this is a surprise is a bit of an understatement since the Padres are a smaller market team and their window for contention did not seem to be coming next season. San Diego without question has one of the best farm systems in baseball led by Fernando Tatis Jr., but many of their better prospects are still at least a year away from debuting. However, as some have said, you can’t control when the best players become available and with Machado in tow for the next decade by the looks of things, he will be around for when the Padres are expected to be good and be a big part of that.
As for Machado, it has been clear for some time that he was wanting to go where the best contract for him was. While the White Sox have long been rumored to be willing to part with big-time money for him, it appears as though the Padres were able to beat their best offer to lure him to southern California. Machado’s new contract of 10 years and $300 million will set the new mark for the biggest contract in the history of American sports, as Feinsand notes in the tweet above.
