There is a lot of money to be made right now as a top free agent in Major League Baseball, and Manny Machado is not going to let that opportunity pass by without taking advantage of it.
Machado confirmed to reporters on Friday that he plans on opting out of his contract with the San Diego Padres after this season to re-enter the free-agent market.
Machado signed a 10-year, $300 million contract in free agency with the Padres prior to the 2019 season, and by opting out after this season he would leave $150 million of that deal on the table. That should be of little concern to him because he will no doubt not only make up that money on a new deal, but should exceed it by a substantial margin and end up earning himself even more money.
He will be 31 when he enters the free-agent market after this season, and he is still playing at an incredibly high level and will be one of the top free agents on the open market.
In 150 games this past season he hit .298 with 32 home runs, 102 RBI and an .898 OPS. It was one of the best seasons of his career offensively despite playing half of his games in a predominantly pitcher-friendly ballpark.
It is not out of the question for him to sign a second $300 million contract, something no player in MLB history (or any other sport for that matter) has ever done.
It is not difficult to see why Machado wants to enter the market. This offseason baseball saw money get thrown around to its top players at eye-popping levels, with Aaron Judge ($360 million), Rafael Devers ($330 million) and Trea Turner ($300 million) all signing deals that exceeded $300 million, while Xander Bogaerts ($280 million) and Carlos Correa ($200 million) topped the $200 million mark.
Even top relief pitchers like Edwin Diaz ($102 million) topped the $100 million mark.
Los Angeles Angels superstar Shohei Ohtani will be the top free agent on the market and could see his contract exceed the $400 million or $500 million mark.
