MLB Rumors: Manny Machado, Padres $145M Apart in Contract Extension Talks

The San Diego Padres and star third baseman Manny Machado have a difference of opinion when it comes to the value of a potential contract extension. About $145 million worth of difference, to be precise.

According to Bob Nightengale of USA Today, the Padres have offered Machado a five-year, $105 million extension that would kick in after the remaining five years and $150 million on his current deal runs out. Machado, meanwhile, has has countered with a 10-year, $400 million extension that would begin in 2024.

In such a scenario, he would opt out of his current deal after this upcoming season.

Let the negotiations begin.

Just don't expect Machado to budge too far off his current request, at least based on recent comments:

"There's a lot of money out there. A lot of money. These owners are making a lot of money, and we're bringing a lot of money too. ... We're having a good time and filling up the seats. It's about business. These are things that happen. The market has changed from when I signed five years ago. It's changed tremendously. Things change and evolve. And as a player that's about to opt out, it's pretty good to see." 

Machado's leverage is that if the Padres aren't willing to meet his price, a team in free agency likely will. Nightengale listed the New York Mets, New York Yankees, San Francisco Giants and Chicago Cubs as possibilities.

It shouldn't come as much of a surprise that the 30-year-old would have a vibrant market. The six-time All-Star and two-time Gold Glove Award winner hit .298 with 32 homers, 102 RBI, 100 runs and a .898 OPS in 2022, finishing as the runner-up in the NL MVP race to St. Louis Cardinals first baseman Paul Goldschmidt.

Not many players at the hot corner offer Machado's offensive prowess, making him one of the better two-way players in baseball.

The Padres, however, are going to have to make some decisions about just how far they are willing to let their future payroll bloat, especially with Fernando Tatis Jr.'s contract about to get more expensive and Juan Soto likely to make major money in arbitration before a potential lucrative long-term extension.

Losing Machado would be a huge short-term blow to the team's World Series aspirations. The question is whether keeping him at his price point would limit their future flexibility.